I Can Cry If I Want To
by Lil-PrincessK
Summary: ~*COMPLETE*~ S/D romance. Serena's sweet 16th birthday has come. What does Darien do? Break up with her, of course! Now, Serena is out for revenge. Goes with Lesley Gore's "It's My Party".
1. Prologue

"I Can Cry if I Want To" Prologue  
  
IT'S MY PARTY  
  
By: Lesley Gore  
  
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to,  
  
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to.  
  
You would cry too if it happened to you.  
  
Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone  
  
But Judy left the same time  
  
Why was he holding her hand,  
  
When he's supposed to be mine?  
  
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to,  
  
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to.  
  
You would cry too if it happened to you.  
  
Play all my records, keep dancin' all night,  
  
But leave me alone for a while.  
  
'Till Johnny's dancin' with me,  
  
I've got no reason to smile.  
  
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to,  
  
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to.  
  
You would cry too if it happened to you.  
  
Judy and Johnny just walked through the door  
  
Like a queen with her king.  
  
Oh what a birthday surprise,  
  
Judy's wearin' his ring.  
  
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to,  
  
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to.  
  
You would cry too if it happened to you. 


	2. Part I, Chapter 1: Planning

Ok, so this is my first Sailor Moon fic, so be nice please? It is a song fic, inspired by Lesley Gore's song "It's My Party". If anything in the SM story line isn't exactly perfect, just think of it as using my author's license to creativity! And I will be using the American names, unless later on I decide to use the outers, and in that case, I like the Japanese names better! Oh, and before I forget: (I went and fixed all of the little things that didn't upload properly!) ~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change, if I can get this to load right. Onward to the story!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money.  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part 1, Chapter 1: Planning  
  
He paced his living room all day it seemed. Back and forth, back and forth.  
  
~Should I tell her? Will she understand?~ were his constant thoughts.  
  
He was thinking about the troubling string of dreams he had been having for about two months now. At first they were bearable and he thought they would go away after a while, but now, Darien realized that wasn't the case. His dreams of Serena were getting more and more horrendous and gory every night. They took place on his and Serena's wedding day and just as they are about to say "I do", she would be savagely ripped from his arms by an unseen force. He would then hear a deep voice that was evenly-laced with evil: "Stay away from her or she shall die. . ."  
  
He would wake up in a cold sweat now not able to sleep a wink the rest of the night. As these midnight occurrences went on, the voice would get louder and now Serena was dying a different death every night, the next more violent and blood-curdling than the last.  
  
"Maybe I can tell her-," but he was soon cut off by the phone. As Darien contemplated answering, the sound seemed to never want to stop the incessant noise.  
  
"Hello?" he asked, praying that it wasn't a tele-marketer.  
  
"DARIEN CHIBA!!!!!" came Andrew's voice from the opposite end. Andrew had been best friends with Darien for a countless number of years now and knew something was wrong when he had not come into the local Crown Arcade for his usual cup of black coffee for three days straight now.  
  
"What?!" Darien exclaimed, slightly annoyed now.  
  
"Where have you been? We are all worried sick about you! Even Serena hasn't heard from you in a while! She thinks you are still mad at her because of her last test score." Andrew looked to Serena as a little sister and hated it when her and Darien would fight. ~Granted, there has been less of that since they started dating, but this is ridiculous, him just ignoring her outright for this long. . .~  
  
"Yea, well, um. . ." ~Should I ask him for advice? No, I had better do this on my own.~ "I'll be right over there. Is Serena there now? Ok. Tell her to wait for me. Thanks."  
  
~Well, whatever I do, I better do it quick. These dreams are getting too bad to be allowed to continue.~ He decided that he would have to do something that would definitely make his love hate him and never even want to see him casually passing on the street, even though it would put a great strain on him not to confess everything right there. He knew that this would hurt his dear Serena a great amount, but it had to be done. After all, she's Sailor Moon. . . she can take anything, right?  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
The group of four girls heard Serena come in and waved her over. "So who is going to be able to come to my sweet 16 this Saturday?" the bubbly blonde asked her Sailor Senshi. Serena, the leader of the senshi and Princess of the Moon, had long pigtails flowing down to her knees from the small round buns on either side of her head, and light blue eyes. Everyone assured her that they were able to attend, and the conversation turned to what would be planned for the evening, and who they were each taking.  
  
"Well, I am most definitely showing up with Andrew, if I can get him to dress up just a bit. . ." commented Mina, a young girl who had very similar blonde thigh-length hair as Serena, minus the crowning meatballs. The two near-twins also shared almost the same eyes, a sky blue, Mina's only a shade or two darker than the other's. "We will just have to work on some of your dates!" As the Goddess of Love from Venus, she was also the self- proclaimed matchmaker of the strongly diversified group.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Lita had had enough of the pretty-boys that Mina had set her up with. They were always dumber than rocks. (AN: Sorry for the overused expression, but it just fit.) "I'm going stag! Either that, or I'm finding my own date. One that can appreciate fine cooking!" The girls all smiled. Beneath the tough exterior, Lita was a great cook. But as the senshi of Jupiter, she was still the roughest fighter in battles, and was the best in the hand to hand combat. She had wavy brown hair that went a little past her shoulders, but for the sake of ease, always had it pulled back into a pony-tail. She also has emerald-green eyes.  
  
"Fine! I will use my great love-sensing abilities where they are appreciated!" pouted Mina.  
  
"I need a date!" piped up Raye, who, despite her stunning looks, always opted for help from her friend when it came to dates. Maybe it was just a humoring thing, but she usually liked the guys Mina picked out for her. Raye had velvet-black hair that cascaded down to her waist, and blue-violet eyes that could capture the attention of every male in Tokyo. She was also the fire senshi of Mars, and the Cherry Hill Temple priestess.  
  
"Thanks, Raye. At least SOMEONE sees me for what I really am!"  
  
"Yea, boy-crazy. . ." The group turned surprised eyes at Amy, the shyest of the girls, and stifled small bursts of giggles. Amy, however, had already turned her attention, or so it seemed, back to the French book she had been studying. She had very short blue hair that, for some reason, no one thought to be a strange color, and matching blue eyes. (AN: yea, I never got how her hair was naturally blue. . . wish I had that!) Amy is the water senshi of Mercury.  
  
"Wow. Never thought I'd see the day when Amy would come out and insult someone, however little the insult may be!"  
  
"Oh, don't pick on her, Raye," scolded Lita.  
  
**grumble grumble** was heard from Raye's general direction.  
  
"So are you going to need a date, too, Amy or will you be going with Greg?" the inquiring Mina wanted to know. At that, Amy reverted to her shy self and blushed slightly. "Yes, he will be coming with me." she stated quietly. Although they had been dating for a few weeks, she was still getting used to the over-all idea.  
  
"Great! Now, the party starts at 8:00pm, but I will need you guys there earlier, say, maybe 6:00? I need help with the setup. Darien will be coming, and will you bring Andrew early, too, Mina?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Speaking of, has anyone heard from him? Darien, I mean?" Serena asked with a frustrated frown upon her face. He hadn't called in 3 days and she was beginning to worry. As far as she knew, he hadn't even been to the arcade, and that was the best place to find him, next to his apartment, and she didn't know where that was. She was sorry now that she didn't pay attention when they drove there the only time she had seen it so far. ~What if he met someone else. . . no. . . nonsense. You would know if he didn't love you anymore.~  
  
Serena snapped out of her thoughts to hear Raye.  
  
"No, but maybe Andrew has. He is here all the time, after all," as she called him to their booth.  
  
"What can I do ya for?" he asked with his usual cheer. "Have you seen Darien anywhere lately? None of us have, and he hasn't called Serena in the longest!" stated Mina.  
  
"Now that I think of it, he hasn't come in at all this week. I'll go call him now and tell him you guys are worried. Do you need anything while I'm back there?"  
  
"Naw, just go call him," Serena absent-mindedly whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*ring, ring. . .*  
  
"Hello?" Darien sounded as if he was preoccupied at the moment.  
  
"DARIEN CHIBA!!!!!"  
  
"What?!" ~ Ooh. . . he doesn't sound too happy to hear from me. Heh heh. ~  
  
"Where have you been? We are all worried sick about you! Even Serena hasn't heard from you in a while! She thinks you are still mad at her because of her last test score." ~I hate it when those two fight, they are just right for each other, and Darien can't go and blow it! Granted, there has been less of that since they started dating, but this is ridiculous, him just ignoring her outright for this long.~  
  
"Yea, well, um. . ." Darien paused for the slightest second. "I'll be right over there. Is Serena there now?"  
  
"Yea, she's here with the girls."  
  
"Ok. Tell her to wait for me. Thanks."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Serena, Darien asked me to tell you to wait for him here," Andrew passed on the message given to him.  
  
"That Darien! He has nerve to tell ME what to do, after THREE DAYS!!!" Serena huffed, arms crossed over her chest. Everyone could tell that the boyfriend was going to get it this time. ~After all, I can't just let him walk all over me, now can I? No, I can't.~ "But I suppose I will wait this time."  
  
"What are you going on about?! You know you would wait until the end of the Earth and Moon for him!" Raye so nicely snorted.  
  
"Andrew, I'm going to go wait out front for Darien. Did he say how long he would be?"  
  
"No, but I'm sure it won't be long!" yelled Andrew, as Serena skipped off toward the double doors.  
  
"Good! See you all tomorrow! And don't forget, we go shopping tomorrow after school for our dresses!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As he rounded the corner, it was all Darien could do not to run smack into the small blonde bomb hurtling at him. ~She is just too cute. I can't believe I am going to have to willingly give her up.~  
  
"Darien!" squealed Serena, now buried soundly in his chest. "What did you want to talk about? Andrew said you wanted me to wait for you?"  
  
"Yea. About your party. . . are you going to need help with the decorations?"  
  
"Yea, do you mind?"  
  
"Not at all." Darien smiled at her. "Is Andrew going to be helping too?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping that you two could put up the streamers, and the girls and I could set up the couple of tables."  
  
"Sounds like a plan! Do you need me to walk you home?" Sometimes he s just really protective!  
  
"No, I need to stop a few places along the way. See you tomorrow?"  
  
"It's a date."  
  
Well, that is the end of Part, 1, Chapter 1. I think I will have 2 parts, with 3 chapters in each, but I'm not sure just yet. I was originally going to write the whole thing then post it bit by bit, but then I wouldn't get a chance to add your input, provided I get any. LoL. R&R please, so I know if I should continue this little excursion of mine! Oh, and any ideas, flames, or whatever, feel free to put. ~*Lil-PrincessK*~ 


	3. Part I, Chapter 2: Party

Hey again!!!!! Ok, well, I got 2 reviews, and that's enough to motivate me! Maybe I should raise my standards a bit, become a bit more stringent, but hey, when you're motivated, you're motivated, eh? Oh, and I think I will introduce all the outers like at once sorta in this chapter, just cause I like them. Don't ask, I just want to. I'm "in the mood" I guess. So, w/o further ado, the next chapter!  
  
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. maybe a dog or two, but no money. *I also don't own Do You Love Me (or www. dylm .com) which I used in the dresses I picked out for the characters. I just thought their dresses were simply wonderful! Oh, and I also had to change the colors of the dresses to fit my liking. Some actually came in those colors, others I made up. hee hee.* Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part 1, Chapter 2: Party  
  
Last time on ICCIIWT: Ok, so there's more 'ado' but it is 4 your own good!  
  
He was thinking about the troubling string of dreams he had been having. . . Dreams of Serena. . . Just as they are about to say "I do". . . Ripped from his arms. . . Unseen force. . . Evenly-laced with evil: "Stay away from her or she shall die. . ."  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
"So who is going to be able to come to my sweet 16 this Saturday?". . . "Party starts at 8:00pm, but I will need you guys there earlier". . . "Has anyone heard from him? Darien, I mean?". . . Hadn't called in 3 days. . . Beginning to worry. ~You would know if he didn't love you anymore~. . . He hasn't come in at all this week. . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
"Where have you been?. . . All worried sick about you!". . . ~I hate it when those two fight. . . Ridiculous, him just ignoring her outright for this long~. . . "I'll be right over. . . Tell her to wait for me". . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
Wait. . . ~Can't just let him walk all over me, now can I? No~. . . "You would wait until the end of the Earth and Moon for him!". . . Shopping tomorrow. . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
~Give her up~. . . Sometimes he's just really protective. . . "See you tomorrow?". . . "It's a date". . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As she waited for the bell to ring after detention (AN: yes, Serena was late again this morning. ~I had a right to be! I was thinking of shopping!~ If you say so. . .), she couldn't help but think of the details she would be looking for. This helped pass the time very quickly, you see. After years of detentions after school, Serena had mastered the fine art of wasting time doing absolutely nothing. The bell rang, and she was off! ~I have to hurry. I said I would meet the girls at 3:10 and it is almost that now.~ Serena ran through the crowded streets of Tokyo, when she saw Darien drive up next to her.  
  
"Need a ride?" he chided with a lopsided grin. "Do I ever! I promised to meet Mina and them at the mall. It isn't out of your way, right?" She didn't want to make him late with anything because of her own tardiness. "No, of course not!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Five minutes later, without a minute to spare, Serena walked into the Dillard's entrance to the mall, with a quick wave back at Darien as he sped off. "What did I do to deserve him?" she asked herself out loud. "I don't know, but I need to figure it out, and do it better!" was heard from behind her. "RAYE!!!!!" but Lita intervened before any real harm was done.  
  
"Come on. . . we have the next 3 hours to shop, shop, shop!" exclaimed the ever-perky Mina. "I hear they just got in some killer dresses at the little boutique across from the food court!" Serena could just imagine. . . "Great!!! Food AND clothes, all at once!"  
  
The other four sweat-dropped. "Do you ever think of anything else, Meatball Head???" Raye inquired. "Yes. . . give me a second. . ." as she wandered throughout her thoughts. "Darien, clothes, the Moon, Darien, the past, the future, Darien, ice cream. . . wait, that is food- scratch that, it doesn't count. . ."  
  
"We get the picture. While it is a narrow-minded one, we get it," Amy cracked.  
  
"Mina and Lita stifled a laugh, while Raye just outright nearly came to tears, thinking about the small amount of subject matter that drifted in and out of her friend's mind.  
  
All of a sudden, they heard Serena gasp, and how very audible it was. "Girls, I think I have found my dress!" was heard as Serena was nothing but a blur running into the store they had come upon to stake claim on the dress she had spotted. When the rest got inside, they saw what was so captivating about the gown Serena had seen. To put it simply, it was gorgeous. It was relatively simple, pink with the waist almost Empire in its place (being high up and all), but coming up slightly to a point, the chest being a bit sparkly, and the skirt layers upon layers of fine tulle, all at different lengths to give it a wispy look. (Ok, ok, the dresses I decided to use are. . . get this! REAL!. . . LoL. Just cause I love these dresses so much, I am going to include the web addies with them, so you can appreciate their total kewlness! My personal favorite: www. dylm .com/images/1420 .jpg).  
  
The girls looked at Serena in open mouthed awe as she emerged 2 minutes later from the dressing room. It fit her like a glove, no questions asked. She paid for the dress while the others looked around. They saw some interesting dresses, but nothing that really stood out. On to the next store!  
  
Next, they went to the little boutique that Mina had mentioned earlier, named Celestial Garments, as it turned out. Inside, Amy found a beautiful conservative dress. It was a light blue, with no design on it, but cut low in the chest area (AN: ooh. . . You go girl!), it had a flared skirt, and tied in an "X" in the back ( www. dylm .com/images/1405 .jpg). It looked even better on Amy than on the hanger, as they all do.  
  
Inside Celestial Garments, Mina also found her perfect dress of choice. It was a pale orange-yellow in color, and, like Amy's, was gracefully flared. It's high waist had little openings that held the skirt to the top with embroidered flowers (AN: You kind of have to see this to really get it. www. dylm .com/images/1434 .jpg).  
  
To find Raye's pick of dress, however, took at least an hour of their time, for she was extremely picky and wanted to outshine the others. This was not going to happen, (Raye: ~But why not?!~) however, because this is MY story (heehee) and Serena is the star of it (w/ Darien, but that isn't the point!). So they finally found her dress in another, slightly larger store called the Butterfly Boutique (AN: I made that up, but if it does exist somewhere, don't sue me, I DON'T own it. . .) Her dress was a strapless one, that was two-toned of red and white. It was embellished by white lace on the edges and a corset-like tying in the back. (www. dylm .com/images/1411 .jpg). ~Yes, in this dress, I will come veeeeery close to outshining everyone. Haha!~ (AN: I in no way hate Raye, I just liked this little outshining thing. . . don't ask. . .).  
  
Last but not least, Lita. She didn't take very long to pick out hers because she wasn't into all this dressing up stuff, but when she tried this one on, she knew she had to have it. As was Mina and Amy's dresses, this was not very detailed and frilly, but it was just enough. It was a minty green and was a halter top connected to the skirt by a wide strip of the fabric in front, and the top tied in the back with a long, flowy tulle fabric. Its skirt also flared smoothly to the floor. (www. dylm .com/images/1432 .jpg).  
  
Just as the group piled their new purchases into the back of Amy's car (AN: Yes, I am giving Amy a car because she is the most responsible one! LoL. And they need a way to carry all that stuff!), they heard a scream come from inside the mall. Knowingly, they took off towards the alarming sound, transforming along the way.  
  
Mercury Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Venus Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Mars Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!  
  
When they rounded the corner, heading in the direction of the Celestial Garments boutique, they started drawing on their energy sources to call forth their attacks, Mercury already running scans to find any weaknesses.  
  
"Anything yet?" yelled Sailor Moon, who was running far up in the lead, to Mercury. "Nothing!" she said, exasperated. "Maybe I can get something when we are closer, but it seems to be blocked now." ~Darn. I was hoping this would be an easy one.~  
  
Serena's first impression of the youma was that it looked more human than monster, but its sheer size and color (plus the beams of dark energy!) gave it a menacing look that said it was from the one-and-only Negaverse.  
  
Jupiter had already started in with some punches and kicks to its head, while Mars waited for her to finish. Finally, Jupiter backed off long enough for the attacks to be made:  
  
Mercury Ice Bubble. . . FREEZE! While the youma was frozen at first, he was highly powerful, and could not be held by that alone. He began to get his ability to move back, and fast. "Venus! Go!" commanded Sailor Moon.  
  
Venus Love Chain. . . ENCIRCLE! With the added attack, he was held fast, at least for a little while.  
  
Mars Celestial Fire. . . SURROUND!  
  
Jupiter Thunder Crash. . . ZAP!  
  
"It still isn't worn out enough, guys! My attack won't dust it yet!" Sailor Moon said as she went in for some up-close and personal hits, and the others, excluding Amy, soon joined her.  
  
"I FOUND IT!!! HE IS WEAK IN HIS LOWER BACK!" screamed Amy as she saw the strong gathering of Dark Energy. . . but she was too late. The other Sailor Senshi were knocked back with a hard blow. She saw, just a second too late, Tuxedo Mask rush by, but there was nothing he could do, other than pelt the monster with his roses, to distract it long enough.  
  
Mercury Shine Aqua. . . ILLUSION!  
  
"Good. . . that should hold for a while. Tuxedo Mask! Help me with the others!" But as they approached, the fallen soldiers slowly got up themselves. "Aim your attacks at his lower back this time, before he gets too much of a chance to do any funny business."  
  
"Duh. . ." moaned Mars, but didn't go any further, for before their eyes, appeared 2 more youma that looked just like the first, but were different colors, black and white.  
  
"God, save us. . ." whispered Jupiter, and she relentlessly charged the closest of the two new arrivals. "Take down the frozen one first guys!" contradicted Sailor Moon.  
  
"Right!" She wasn't going to say anything yet, but Venus noticed that Sailor Moon had become a lot more leader-like recently, and was proud of her. She barely klutzed out anymore, and they got through fights a lot quicker that way. Tuxedo Mask noticed the same thing. ~At least I won't have to face protecting her all the time when she hates me, but I can do as much as possible now. She is really maturing and can hold her own.~ He had to smile at her sudden bravado.  
  
Venus Crescent Beam. . . SHOWER!  
  
"Is it down enough yet, Mercury?" Sailor Moon wanted to get this one out of the way. "Yes, it should be killed easily now." "Good!" she exclaimed with a smile.  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATION!  
  
"Dusted!" the scouts cried out in unison. "Now, about the other two. . . Any info on them Mercury?" ~She had to have had plenty of time, while I destroyed the frozen youma.~ "There isn't any information for them, but it seems as if these are guarding their heads. See the unusual amount of armor and such?" "Ok, girls. . . and guy! You know what to do!" The group split into two groups, excluding Sailor Moon and Mercury, who was still typing furiously at the Mercury computer.  
  
Mars and Tuxedo Mask tried wearing down the white youma, while Jupiter and Venus went at the black one.  
  
Mars Firebird. . . STRIKE!  
  
Rose Throw! (AN: What else am I supposed to call it???!!!)  
  
Jupiter Thunder Dragon. . . SUPREME!  
  
Venus Crescent Beam. . . SHOWER!  
  
"Sailor Moon, these ones are much stronger than the last one. . . what should we do?" Mercury was worried now. "We keep fighting. That is what we always do." "Ok." The answer seemed like an ok one for her.  
  
While the girls fought, Sailor Moon joined in on the black youma, while Mercury tried another freeze before joining in helping on the white monster.  
  
Mercury Shine Aqua. . . ILLUSION! Both youma were stunned and slowed down, but not stopped as another beam of dark energy caught Mars on the shoulder. Mercury noticed as she made an attempt to fight that Venus had already been taken out, lying conscious, but not moving, at the base of a tree. Jupiter was near the same point, as were Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. She was about to give up, herself when she heard something. . .  
  
Uranus World. . . SHAKING!  
  
Neptune Deep. . . SUBMERGE!  
  
Pluto Dead. . . SCREAM!  
  
Saturn Silence Glaive. . . SURPRISE!  
  
The two remaining youma were greatly affected by the strangers' attacks, and Sailor Moon knew that she came next. Aligning herself so that her attack would hit both monsters, she yelled out her power.  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATION!  
  
The youma let out piercing screams, causing the fighters to cover their ears. ~I remember them!~ Sailor Moon detransformed, and ran squealing towards Pluto. "SETSUNA!!!!!" Pluto detransformed and hugged the girl she knew as her Princess tightly. "How did you all get here?" Serena asked the outers, not one of them in particular. "The same way you did, Princess," replied Uranus, as she detransformed to Haruka. Neptune and Saturn followed suite, becoming Michiru and Hotaru, respectively. "Mother sent you here, too?" she asked incredulously. "She sent Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru. I reside mostly in the Time Gates, remember?"  
  
Sadly, she did remember. It was a rare occasion when Setsuna was allowed out of her time-keeping bondage. "How long can you stay?" Serena wanted to know how long she had with her old friend. "As long as it takes to take down the Negaverse, this time."  
  
The for-the-moment forgotten Inner Senshi and Darien (now all detransformed as well) were puzzled, and slightly disturbed that Serena took to the new- comers so easily. "Woo hoo. . . over here!" yelled Mina from about 100 feet away. She began walking towards her leader and Raye, Lita, Amy, and Darien followed her, all a bit slow because of their injuries, but those were healing fast. "Who are you people, and how do you know Serena?" questioned Raye, rather harshly. Amy just looked at them knowingly. She did not have her memories back of the Silver Millenium, but she had already figured out who the other senshi were using her computer.  
  
Explanations were made to say why the three older and one younger girl were here and where they came from, Serena explaining most of it from memory, hoping it was the right thing to do, Amy filling in historical information. Luna wouldn't like her telling the girls about some of the memories of the past, but it was all she could do at the moment. (I'm not getting into that though. It would take too long, so, just 'imagine' I told you and either use prior knowledge or make up something about their past! hehehe)  
  
"Oh. . . " the girls said, in obvious wonderment. "Do you remember, Darien?" asked Serena, for he had been quiet the whole time, while the girls asked questions to no end. "Yes." Was all he said. ~Now is as good as any to start distancing myself. She has more friends from the past to help her.~  
  
"Well, in order to get reacquainted with each other, I propose that all of you attend my 16th birthday party!" she said with great glee. "Uh. . . I guess so." Setsuna wasn't sure about partying, but Michiru and Haruka were excited. "Sure! We don't have anything planned, but this will let us get around, meet a few people. Maybe it will help us!" Hotaru nodded silently in agreement. "Ok then. When and where is it?"  
  
The details were explained, and they all parted ways, Outers going to their large, newly-purchased home, Inners continuing their sleep-over plans, Darien heading to his next class.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that week (Saturday night, to be exact), Serena got the call from Darien.  
  
"Serena? I'm sorry. I can't pick you up and come early like we planned. We had a small accident at work, and I am needed to help fix it."  
  
"Aww, I was really looking forward to you coming!" Darien could tell she was pouting by her voice. He couldn't help but grin, even thought what was about to go down that night would be the end of them.  
  
"Don't worry. I will be there, just not early enough to help with the setup. I talked to Andrew, though. He said he can handle whatever you throw his way, but be easy on him!" She laughed at the memory of him trying to lift things when Lita got her apartment, all to evident that he was going to get squished by a sofa, Darien had quickly gone over to help him.  
  
"Ok. . . I will still miss you. Talk to you later then! ~*MUAH*~!"  
  
"-chuckling- Alright." *click.*  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Six o'clock had finally rolled around. Amy had picked her up, along with the other girls minus Mina (she had plans to show up with Andrew), and they were on their way to the ballroom that had been rented. The plan was to go, setup, then get dressed in time to greet guests and such. It was a big occasion, and the guest list wasn't set. Serena's friends brought friends and friends-of-friends, as was the same for people Andrew, Darien, and the girls knew. Almost all were welcome.  
  
The before-hand process was soon finished, and the large room looked spectacular. They all went into the back rooms to get dressed. Andrew took only 15 minutes, while the girls spent the better of 45 back there, setting their hair and primping. When they finally emerged, Andrew's jaw almost hit the ground. They were all, in a word, breathtaking.  
  
Soon, guests started to arrive, and Darien was among them, about an hour late. But whenever Serena tried to get some time alone with him, he was always pulled away, without any protest on his part. ~Well, he has had a rough day at work. Let him be for a while.~ So she waited.  
  
Not to say that her evening so far was eventless. She had danced with a number of people, including her father, brother, Andrew, her cousin from America, and some other guys from school. During the faster dances, she danced in her group of friends, which included the recently discovered Outers, each wearing a simple, but beautiful, gown.  
  
[AN: Not going to go into those because it would take too long. Maybe I will add them later though. For those of you who might have been looking at what they are wearing, here are the addies: Setsuna: www. dylm .com/images/1408 .jpg in black; Michiru: www. dylm .com/images/1416 .jpg in a deep, aqua-marine; Haruka (who was hard to get to wear a dress, let me tell you!): www. dylm .com/images/1422 .jpg in a very pale blue; Hotaru: www. dylm .com/images/1431 .jpg in deep purple. Ok. I think that takes care of everyone's attire!]  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Darien had tried hard to avoid Serena at almost all cost. Any chance he got to leave her side, he would take. He hadn't even danced with her yet, and he was hoping she was getting suspicious. The 'accident' at work earlier didn't even exist. Now, his second part of the plan would have to commence soon. He would pick out a girl, almost at random, and, so to say, 'woo' her at the party. Hopefully, Serena wouldn't find it in her heart to forgive him, but it was just that big. This was a major risk, and he knew it. Now, all he had to do is spot the perfect, or not-so-perfect, girl.  
  
He saw her as he made his way over to the punch line. She was a petit girl with long, long, deep pink hair and green eyes. He noticed she didn't seem to be with anyone, but she also seemed to be the type of girl to take another's boyfriend, or at least he was hoping so.  
  
"How do you know Serena?" he came up and asked her. "Oh, not personally. My younger sister knows her a little from school. How do you, if it is so important you know how I do?" she countered. "I'm her boyfriend." He said simply, knowing it would catch her interest.  
  
He was right. ~Wow. He is a bit old for her. This might be fun!~ She gave him a coy smile and walked away slowly, exaggerating the swing of her hips. "Well, I was right. Hook, line, and sinker." And he followed. They danced a few songs, and he excused himself to go and mingle for a bit. Ten minutes later, he was back, and dancing again, and, might I add, very intimately.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
This behavior did not go unnoticed, however, which in Darien's mindset, would be a good thing. Haruka had been watching him all night, being the protective friend that she is. She distrusts guys so much and figured she better not this one. She was right.  
  
When he got up and went over back to Serena for a while, she wet over to grille the girl.  
  
She found out that her name was Kyra and that this girl knew Darien was dating Serena, but didn't see that as a problem, because, in her words, "The little twit doesn't deserve to take collage guys anyway. There aren't enough to go around as is." And she shrugged, and turned back away. This got Haruka very upset, and she went to tell the other Outers what she knew.  
  
"What should we do?" she asked Setsuna, who already knew the outcome of this fiasco, but wasn't telling. "It is strictly against the Time Rules to tell you. Just let it ride itself out." Michiru and Hotaru agreed and they all kept close watch over the offending man for the next 15 minutes, until they could no longer find him.  
  
Hotaru came back and told the others that she saw Darien and Kyra leave together, arms wrapped around each other.  
  
"That definitely is not good. . ." Michiru said. "Maybe we should tell her?" Setsuna sighed, "I suppose it is time."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Andrew? Have you seen Darien anywhere? He hasn't danced with me yet, and I want to talk to him!" He thought. "No, Serena, now that I think of it, I haven't seen him in a while. Sorry."  
  
She got the same basic answer from the rest of the people she asked and then decided to group up the girls for some talk-time. "Guys, I think something is bothering Darien. I just can't figure it out though. he hasn't talked to me a lot, we haven't danced, and he has taken any excuse he gets to leave when I am with him!" They could see the tears springing in her crystalline eyes.  
  
This is when Hotaru decided it best to let the Inners know what she had seen. "I think Hotaru has something to say," mentioned Haruka.  
  
"What is it? Is it about Darien?!" pleaded the tiny blonde. "I'm afraid so. I saw him leave about 30 minutes ago." "Where?! Where did he go? Maybe to pick up my cake?" she hoped it was that, and not something else.  
  
"No. . . I'm so sorry. He left. . . with another girl." Thinking better of it, Michiru said, "Rather a woman, if that is any better. . ." "NO IT ISN'T!" yelled Serena. She was very near bawling now. "I just knew he would find someone better than me!"  
  
"No, no!!! that isn't it, Serena!" comforted Mina. "It is so his loss! If he is doing this, he didn't fully realize what he had!" Lita chose this time to comment, "When I see that Darien, he will see the full-fledged fury of Sailor Jupiter. . ."  
  
"Them be's fightin' words. . ." said Mina wisely. "Mina, shut up. . ." said Raye. "Well, they are! **raspberry**"  
  
"What was her name. . . did I invite her? Tell me everything you know." demanded their leader. So they told how Haruka questioned the girl, and what the two-timing Darien had been pulling all night.  
  
Maybe 20 minutes after they finished their story, Darien came back in, arm in arm with Kyra. Serena, seeing the pure openness he was showing with her, walked right over there and, without a word, slapped him, saying "We are OVER" in a very menacing tone, and walked calmly away. There was a round of applause for her from the senshi, and evil looks shooting the usual daggers at Darien, and some aimed towards Kyra. ~I guess my plan worked~, he thought glumly.  
  
Lita was trying to get away from Setsuna and Haruka when Serena got back to them. "Leave him be. He doesn't deserve our attention anymore." Her voice was calm and emotionless, but her eyes showed her true feelings: hurt, pain, anger, but most of all, love. Love for the man who had betrayed her, and not even in secret! ~The nerve of the self-centered baka.~ (AN: I was gonna not use any Japanese terms in this, but I didn't want to use any. . . uh. . . vulgar. . . language. If you want, imagine anything else you would like to call him there!)  
  
Serena told Mina and Raye to spread the word around that the party was NOT over, and that she would be fine. In reality, she felt like she could die right there and not give a care. People danced, Darien and Kyra danced, and Serena sat. People laughed, Darien and Kyra laughed (thought Darien's was not heart-felt, but she didn't know that), and Serena did not laugh. Neither did her close friends. They sat with her for most of the night, bringing her and the others food and drink every once in a while. And that is how the "party" went for the rest if the time there.  
  
When it was over, the guests left, sharing their condolences with her, advising her to forget the idiot of a boyfriend, and find someone better. Serena smiled weakly at these people, knowing that they only meant well. And Darien left with Kyra. ~I WILL get over him. I still have my duties as Sailor Moon, even though I don't have him. And my friends. they will help me.~ And that thought alone, with her family, got her through the night.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, another chapter! Ok, as a reminder, there will be one more chapter in this part, then a second part with three chapters in it. Review please, because I don't feel very motivated anymore. . . I am getting greedy. . . wahaha. 2 reviews is not enough for me! I'm thinking more along the lines of 10 reviews, then I will really try and post something (Who knows if I will be finished w/ the next chapter by then!) LoL. Well, tell me if it stinks, is good, or even if you have a pet monkey named Fluffy (inside joke. . . LoL). Any and everything, but I need reviews to write! If you want me to email you when I update, send me an email saying so or include it in your review, k? Oh, and if you have like some good news of whatever, tell me cuz I just spent $20 on a CD I don't want. stupid thing. LoL. And I just got my cartilage pierced!!! YAY!!! Ok, I'm so sure you REALLY wanted to know about that. Oh well. ~*Lil-PrincessK*~ 


	4. Part I, Chapter 3: Aftermath

Wow! Today ended up being good! After all of the problem I was having w/ ff.net, I thought I would never get around to writing Chapter 3!!!!! But here I am, and I know I said this in the last AN, but I need an editor, to double check me and all, so any applicants appreciated! I also, just within the past 15 minutes, got 3 reviews, which made me VERY happy and made me want to write more. Right now, that is a grand total of. . . *gasp!* 11! This is good for me, really! **waves to people who love me** LoL, j/k. Not THAT conceited, I promise! So, here is the next chapter!  
  
I also thought I would reply to some reviews, 'cause it is just polite I guess. So here goes nothing!: (in alphabetical order)  
  
Baby Bunnie: Gasp! Meanie?! I am shame-faced. You see, the longer you wait for a chapter, the better it shall be. If I rush it, it might not come out the way I planned and be a horribly written. Please understand, for I am a stubborn perfectionist.  
  
Chintamani: Lets face it. . . if murder wasn't a crime, I feel sure that all Sailor Moon readers would have killed Darien at one point in time or another. But for this story's purpose, it would be a little bit better to keep him alive and all because, well, he IS Darien, and Serena would not stand for us to just kill him off, even after all the horrible times he has dumped her because of a stupid dream in our imaginations. Too bad, really. . . j/k!  
  
Kiseki-no-niko: Glad you like. I'd love to help in any way I can. Well, almost, I guess.  
  
Lexi: Why, thank you. I think I will hurry up. This is as fun to write as it is to read stories.  
  
Rosealeena: Wow. I am in total and complete awe. Simple review, yet oddly effective. Wow.  
  
Serena: I will need all the luck I can get. **said solemnly**  
  
StarSponge: Ok, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you like Sponge Bob Square Pants. On to more pressing issues. . . Thank you, I like my story too, if I may say so myself!  
  
Sniper957: Uh, can you say "mixed signals"? *__* I'm not exactly sure whether you mean ICCIIWT is good, it stinks, or it stinks even worse. Clarify, if you will!  
  
TN: Yet another simplicity. Ah, the bliss!  
  
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part 1, Chapter 3: Aftermath  
  
Last time on ICCIIWT:  
  
Meet the girls at 3:10. . . "Darien, clothes, the Moon, Darien, the past, the future, Darien, ice cream. . . wait, that is food- scratch that, it doesn't count". . .  
  
~*FLASH*!  
  
They heard a scream. . . ~Hoping this would be an easy one~. . . She was too late. . . 2 more youma. . . Sailor Moon had become a lot more leader- like. . . ~ Won't have to face protecting her all the time when she hates me~. . . "These ones are much stronger than the last one". . . About to give up. . . Uranus World SHAKING!. . . Neptune Deep SUBMERGE!. . . Pluto Dead SCREAM!. . . Saturn Silence Glaive SURPRISE!. . . Moon Scepter ELIMINATION!. . . "Dusted!". . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
"I can't pick you up. . . Accident at work". . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
Avoid Serena at almost all cost. . . A major risk. . . "I'm her boyfriend". . . "Hook, line, and sinker". . . Saw Darien and Kyra leave together. . . "I suppose it is time". . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
"Hotaru has something to say". . . "With another girl". . . "Knew he would find someone better than me!". . . "Them be's fightin' words". . . "We are OVER". . . . ~My plan worked~. . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It had been a week since Darien left her party with Kyra, leaving her there to wallow in her own pity. Her friends had come with her home everyday after school, and she didn't dare chance going to the arcade, for fear of seeing him there. ~I don't know what would have been worse. If he had been just plain straight forward and mean or just not hiding his lusts.~ oh, well. It didn't matter now. He was gone, and she didn't think there was a single thing in this world that would bring him back to her. "Well, I promised I would go today." She was speaking, of course, about her promise to her friends that she would finally return to the Crown Arcade.  
  
She had only agreed under the condition that they sit in the booth furthest back from the doors and counter, where Darien could usually be found, and she facing the opposite way, so as to not have to look at him, and quite possibly, Kyra. Yes, the girls had told her that the two had started to go steady, claiming love at first site at the party. ~Well, she certainly is closer to his age, and prettier, too.~ on the other hand, just about everyone who knew Darien or Serena was mad at him. This select group included the senshi, Andrew, and Serena's family. Setsuna arrived first, claiming that Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru would be along shortly, for they woke later than planned.  
  
As you might recall, Setsuna is the Goddess/Senshi of time, and so knows the reasoning behind the breakup, as well as the end of it (AN: her and me both!). She, while not talking to him in a 'buddy-buddy' way, was not mad at him. Annoyed, yes. Disappointed, yes. Angry, no. She believes he should have just told Serena about his dreams, but was not to be allowed to guide the others in any way, so says the Gates of Time.  
  
Soon after, Mina, Lita, Amy and Raye showed up, again in Amy's new car, all bearing little gifts. "Go ahead, meatball! Open up!" said Raye.  
  
"Oh! A little chocolate bunny! Two of my faves in one!!!" ~Wow. Food really gets her mind off of things. I hope she doesn't get really, really fat because of that idiot. . .~  
  
"And. . . a graphing calculator. . .? Thanks, Amy. . .!" Amy saw her friend's confusion. "I thought you could maybe use it for your homework, and that might help you forget He-must-not-be-named." (AN: yes, from Harry Potter. So sue me, it fit.).  
  
"Speak of the devil himself," whispered Mina, who was facing the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Darien had just walked in, followed very closely by Kyra, who looked around, spotted Serena at their table, and put on quite a show. She was about to drag Darien over their way, to show off, but just then, Haruka walked in, Michiru and Hotaru right after her. She saw this going on and made her way to cut Kyra off, midway to her destination. "And where do you think you are going?" Haruka said with a look that could kill. "To sit down and have lunch with MY BOYFRIEND," She replied, just as coldly, saying the last two words just loud enough to be heard by the targeted table. "Not on my watch, you aren't," Haruka threatened. She spoke again, this time in Darien's direction. "If I EVER see you within 20 feet of Sere-" but was quickly cut off by Setsuna and Michiru grabbing her on either arm, Michiru covering her mouth quickly.  
  
"That goes double for me," said Lita over her shoulder as they walked off, who had come over, too, in case she was needed to help quell the feisty Uranian.  
  
At these warnings, Darien quietly pulled his date toward the front counter, only to be ignored by Andrew, who walked right past while wiping the counter. Darien could tell easily by the way his hands were shoved aside when Andrew reached that part of the area. "Boy, she has really turned everyone against you. Probably spreading lies to make you look bad, hun," commented Kyra. "Sure. That's it. . ." mumbled Darien. He had seen how Serena's face had turned from one of confusion (because of the hasty exits of Setsuna and Lita) to one of pure hurt.  
  
Just then, he saw a flash of blonde as Serena stormed out of the arcade, followed quickly by the rest. He noted sub-consciously that he received evil stares from almost all of her friends as they ran out, one by one.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!  
  
A youma attack was just what Serena needed to get away from the pain. ~Well, emotional pain, at least.~ She had come to seek refuge from having to see Darien so soon, and when she got there, she realized that the senshi had followed her. Soon after that, a youma appeared, and the fight began.  
  
~I wonder if Tuxedo mask dares to show his face around here.~ she thought, part of her hoping he would, part hoping he wouldn't. She had closed their link most of the way, the only part he could read was the transformation part. This is how he knew when and where battles were. ~Whatever happens, I will not let it bring down my fighting abilities!~ Sailor Moon heard her friends transform behind her.  
  
Mercury Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Venus Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Mars Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Saturn Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Uranus Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Neptune Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Pluto Star Power, Make Up!  
  
This youma was a very large one, but that didn't fool Mercury and her computer. "It may look super-huge, but it is relatively weak. Maybe, a few attacks should do it?" And they got right on it.  
  
Uranus and Venus ran around its back, taking its attention off of the others, while Mars prepared an attack.  
  
Mars Celestial Fire. . . SURROUND!  
  
Her fires circled the youma, and it was drastically weakened, but not quite enough. Mars quickly dodged a rather large beam of Dark Energy. "Now, Jupiter!" commanded Sailor Moon.  
  
"Right!"  
  
Jupiter Thunder Crash. . . ZAP!  
  
"Moon! It's ready!" said Mercury, but as Sailor Moon prepared her scepter, another youma appeared. "This one is as strong as the second ones from last week!" warned Mercury, talking about the new youma. "Ok, Pluto, take care of it." "Sure," she agreed with deadly undertone. Sailor Moon returned to the first monster.  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATION!  
  
Pluto Dead. . . SCREAM! She sent a vast amount of energy, hoping to knock it down. It fell, and Uranus started over.  
  
Uranus World. . . SHAKING!  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATION!  
  
Yet again, as soon as it was destroyed, another youma seemingly dropped out of the sky. "Uh-oh. . ." said Mercury. "This one is a bit stronger. By a bit, I mean a lot."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Darien decided to hang around the arcade for a little while longer, hoping to get Andrew to talk to him. He had felt Serena transform, but she wasn't in any immediate danger. That much he was able to feel, even thought the rest of the link must have been blocked by Serena. He would only go when absolutely necessary.  
  
"Andrew, I know you are trying to ignore me, but hear me out." His friend just kept wiping the already spotless counter-top. Darien sighed dejectedly. **sigh**  
  
All of a sudden, Andrew exploded. It was almost totally unprovoked, and took the pair across the bar by surprise. "HOW DARE YOU, YOU BAKA, BREAK UP WITH THE PERFECT GIRL FOR YOU FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND START SEEING THIS. . . THIS. . . OTHER FEMALE!!! AT SERENA'S SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY, NO LESS! HAVE YOU NO CLASS, DARIEN? REALLY, DO YOU?!?!?!"  
  
"No need to yell! You are going to scare off all your customers, Andrew!"  
  
"Oh, yea. . . You're right. Why yell when I can just strangle you?!" and he lunged for his ex-best friend's throat. Kyra chose this time to intervene. "Watch it!!! That's my boyfriend you are trying to kill!" she yelled. However, she probably shouldn't have done that. This put almost all of Andrew's attention on her now. "Oh, no you don't. You are the cause of this! You split up possibly the best couple in the whole of Japan!" and he started making his way towards her. Darien saw his friend's intentions and hurriedly dragged Kyra out of the arcade. Just then, he felt that Serena was in more trouble than she was before and this time, he couldn't ignore the feeling that he should go. "Uh, Kyra. . . I need to go get some stuff from the store for our date tonight. See you later?" lied Darien. "Sure. . ." Kyra was still dazed from her near-death experience.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tuxedo Mask run in the direction of the park, where the battle seemed to be raging on. The first thing he heard when he arrived, while sitting in a nearby tree was, "Uh-oh. . . This one is a bit stronger. By a bit, I mean a lot." This made him very worried. ~How many have they battled so far that she thinks they might not be able to take this one on??? Oh well. I better do this.~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sailor Moon heard Mercury and almost immediately after that, she saw a quick flash of red and black. He had come.  
  
"Mercury! Anything at all?" Mercury looked at her computer. Yes, there was a lot of information on this one. It was like one they had battled about a year ago, but upgraded in a way. "Ok, you are going to have to hit him right on his chest. That is his weakest spot, though it isn't very weak. . ." and she trailed off at the thought.  
  
Mercury Shine Aqua. . . ILLUSION! It was slowed enough to a point that the others could get in a few good hits and kicks, and then. . . SMASH! It was free again.  
  
Sailor Moon saw a chain of roses fly out of a tree and hit the youma on his chest, making it pause just enough for one of her attacks.  
  
Moon Tiara. . . MAGIC!  
  
Mars Firebird. . . STRIKE!  
  
Two good hits, and then he needed some more restraint. . .  
  
Mercury Aqua Shine. . . ILLUSION!  
  
Venus Love Chain. . . ENCIRCLE!  
  
Rose Chain. . . ENTRAPMENT! (AN: I decided to add a little more. . . how to say?. . . pizzazz to his attacking power. I read online the roses don't actually do anything except distract the enemy so Sailor Moon can attack and I felt it my duty to power him up a bit. And I needed to add a bit of my own creativity to it, also!)  
  
Youma restrained, the girls were ready for more kicks, then some extra power surges.  
  
Saturn Silence Glaive. . . SURPRISE!  
  
Neptune Deep. . . SUBMERGE!  
  
And in a flurry of bright marine and purple, the youma was finally ready for Sailor Moon.  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATION!  
  
In a pile of dust now, they were in no danger for the moment. Moon detransformed, followed by her senshi, and stalked past Tuxedo Mask without even acknowledging he existed. Not even a simple "Thanks". Not that anyone blamed her, though.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As she was walking towards her home, Serena heard Haruka running behind her. ~Always there when needed.~ she thought with a smile. Without turning around, she asked, "Where did you send the others to wait for us?" Taken momentarily by surprise, Haruka stumbled on her words at first. "Um. . . Huh?. . . To wait. . . I mean, to the mansion." ~Wow. That was surprisingly hard to say!~ Haruka thought, for no particular reason.  
  
"Well, you can report back to them that Darien will not be affecting my leadership role with the scouts. It is way too important to mess that up! Make sure Raye especially gets it!" she burst into tears, and ran off before Haruka even knew what happened. She started to run after her, but was stopped short by Tuxedo Mask leaping in front of her.  
  
"What did you say that made her run off crying like that?!" he practically yelled at the Princess of the past Uranus. Now, if he had any sense, he wouldn't have acted so worried, but he was in a very emotional frenzy. Fortunately, Haruka was so angry she didn't take notice. "What I did??? How about what YOU did?!?!?!" she nearly screamed at him and took off toward the mansion, taking out the communicator that Luna had given her and the other new-comers two days ago. "Guys, we need to talk to Serena I think. She just took of wailing and I am just hoping she doesn't do anything she will later regret." And she signed off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sure enough, when they arrived at Serena's home, she was in a frenzy trying to come up with ways to make Darien pay. Obviously, she had gotten over the denial stage of grief, and was well into the next part, anger. "I will show that stupid baka! Now, I know he is allergic to macadamia nuts. I will ask Lita to bake some cookies with them in it! Yea. . . now I just need to find out what that home wrecker is allergic of. Then I will terrorize them with their worst fears with my disguise pen! Darien is totally afraid of clowns. Not a lot of people know that, though. It will be PERFECT!!!!! Maybe mice or bugs will work with Kyra. . ."  
  
"Um, Serena? Are you Ok?. . ." asked Michiru. "Of course I will bake the coo-" started Lita, who was furious with the couple, but she was cut off by Raye. "Don't help her or give her any ideas!" she whispered harshly in her friend's ear. "Oh, I will be just peachy once Darien pays for breaking my heart into tiny, itsy, bitsy, miniscule, little pieces. Then I will be just as happy as ever!" she said cheerily with a big smile. Mina came over. "Serena, I hate to say it, but two wrongs don't make a left. Revenge will not help."  
  
All the other girls sweat-dropped. Mina looked around. . . "What?" "Don't you mean two wrongs don't make a RIGHT?" corrected Lita. "Isn't that what I said?" asked a now confused Mina. "Never mind, you guys. Now, how are you gonna help me torture Darien and that other. . . person?" Setsuna sighed. "Serena, we are not going to help in THAT way. We are going to try and help you get over him." Serena saw this as a point to contradict. "Oh, I am SO over him. I just want to make him miserable is all." This was said in the most serious manner possible. Weird.  
  
"Ok, ok. Setsuna, I would do ANYTHING to get him back! Lets face it. I will never love anyone more than I did him, and anything is worth giving up to have him back!" Onward to the stage of bargaining. "Well, this is getting better, now isn't it? Only two more stages left in the ladder of grief!" chimed in Amy. "Wait. . . the next is depression. Never mind. . ." At the sound of this, Serena started her heart-wrenching wailing again. "I think that is the shortest amount of time I have seen anyone go through bargaining ever." said Raye in awe.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Darien sat down next to Kyra. She had no idea where he had disappeared off to, but was glad he was back. She in no way was in love with him, or even close for that matter, but as long as she was winning over Serena, she didn't care either way. ~I wonder why I resent that little girl so much as to go through this trouble.~ Kyra wondered. But in her mind, that didn't really matter.  
  
"How about we skip dinner. I'm not all that hungry anyway," she suggested. "Where would we go then?" Darien was puzzled by her retraction of their date. "I was hoping the mall or something."  
  
She had overheard Mina talking to Amy about it earlier before they all had run out of the arcade. They were planning a massive shopping trip to cheer their friend up, and she wanted to mess it all up for them. ~Wahaha!~  
  
An hour later, she and Darien pulled up in front of the Tokyo Mall. Kyra had decided that since it had been 2 months since they first got together, they should celebrate by him buying her a big, expensive gift. ~As log as I am using him, I might as well make it good!~ she thought with glee. In all honesty, she thought he was way too mysterious and book-wormy for her likes, but you take what you get. It was better than no one, she supposed.  
  
Soon, she saw the big group of girls walking a little ahead of her and Darien, and they all turned into a new clothing store. "Darien!!! I want to look in there! They just opened and have all the BEST stuff!" she squealed, Darien in tow behind her. She immediately noticed that to get Serena jealous wouldn't be as hard as she thought for there was not a single rack of clothing higher than one's waist, and they would be in plain view where ever she wanted to enact her plan. Quickly, she again began to drag him over a bit closer to the others, while saying, "It is so nice of you to take me out tonight, Darien! I am really having a ball!" just loud enough for the larger group to hear.  
  
When Kyra knew they had their attention, she quickly reached up and made an attempt to kiss Darien. Fortunately, he still had a bit of dignity to hold up and gave her the cheek, whispering, "Not in public, Kyra. . ." looking cautiously over his shoulder in the general direction of Serena and her dangerously close friends. (AN: He isn't THAT evil! He still has feelings for our hero! No kisses till later, heeheehee!!! BTW, that is also a literary device know as foreshadowing, wink wink, nudge nudge. . .)  
  
Darien said to Kyra, "I don't think any of the clothes in here are worthy of your beauty." And pulled the little witch, who was pouting all the way, to the next store.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After the couple's hasty retreat, Lita turned to Haruka with a begging look. To put it simply, it said "Can we kill them now?" Haruka's returned glance answered a quick, "I wish, but no."  
  
Serena had obviously seen and heard the whole deal with her ex, but had gotten over the whole "He's not with me" thing. The only part that was tying her to them and depression over the whole thing was that he would be so cruel in the way he showed his disinterest in her. Even thought she had been the one to leave him, she felt that it was in all ways his fault, and no one could disagree with her. Yes, she believed she was almost totally over him. Very much closer, in fact than anyone knew, really.  
  
Just then, the clerk that worked at the store came over to ask if they needed any help. "No, thank you," said Serena politely.  
  
"Hey. . . Don't I know some of you from school? You are Serena, right? And Amy, Lita, and Mina?" The four girls were flattered that this handsome young man was showing interest in them. Raye quickly elbowed Mina, giving a silent reminder that she already had a boyfriend.  
  
Then he turned his attention back to Serena. "I know this is a bit sudden, but would you like to see a movie later on tonight?" he shyly asked her. After but a moment's delay, she agreed to meet him here at 7:00pm, and she and her guardians left, all happy and smiling that Serena had finally gotten past depression, and into acceptance, the last stage of grief. Darien Chiba was out of her life for good (besides fighting the Negaverse!). . . so it seemed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ok!!! I am so incredibly sorry it took me so long to write this, but I was building my web page, and that took a TON of time. And it STILL isn't done yet! Argh is all I have to say to that. . . Onward! I would have to say that in all, this chapter was kind of hard to write, and Part 2 will be a bit hard as well, because I don't have all the details sorted out in my head yet! We Floridians know that F-CAT is really annoying, and we started it yesterday, so that WOULD have prohibited me from writing, but I never study for the stupid thing any way. It is just too easy to pass w/o wasting my time! I still need someone as a editor, but I can live w/o that right now. Just if you are really bored n like to read chaps before they get posted, email me! Also, if you want to be notified when I update, send me an email saying so. Oh, and as always, REVIEW! It really brightens my day-seriously!  
  
~*Lil-PrincessK*~ 


	5. Interlude

"I Can Cry if I Want To" Interlude  
  
Judy's Turn To Cry  
  
Lesley Gore  
  
'Cause now it's Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
'Cause Johnny's come back to me.  
  
Oh, when Judy left with Johnny at my party  
  
And came back wearing his ring  
  
I sat down and cried my eyes out,  
  
Now that was a foolish thing!  
  
'Cause now it's Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
'Cause Johnny's come back to me.  
  
Well, it hurt me so to see them dance together,  
  
I felt like making a scene.  
  
Then my tears just fell like raindrops  
  
'Cause Judy's smile was so mean.  
  
But now it's Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
'Cause Johnny's come back to me.  
  
(Instrumental Break)  
  
Oh, one night I saw them kissin' at a party,  
  
So I kissed some other guy.  
  
Johnny jumped up and he hit him,  
  
'Cause he still loved me, that's why.  
  
So now it's Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
'Cause Johnny's come back to me.  
  
Yay, now it's Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry,  
  
Judy's turn to cry. 


	6. Part II, Chapter 1: Dating

Hey, look. . . I'm back! I AM SOOOO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED LATELY!!!  
  
You will so not even believe part of the reason I haven't been updating! I was looking at ff.net like "Hmmm. . . Do they really not like Part II so far?! I haven't gotten a single review!" and lo and behold, I hadn't posted it! I am so thick sometimes. Also, I just got stuck with some aspects of this, and I got a lot of homework, etc, etc, with the excuses. . . I got a couple reviews asking about whether or not this is a Darien/Serena fic. Yes, it is. Unless for some crazy reason, I decide it won't be, but it was first planned out to be a D/S. So sorry to those of you who want it otherwise! **genuine tears forming** It is really, really hard to please everyone, but I am trying! ^_~ Oh. . . I just realized that in Chapter 3, the guy that Serena agreed to go out with doesn't have a name!!!!! o_O Lets just work it into this chapter like it was in the last, k? Lets PRETEND we know it already. . . I will go back and fix it later, I promise! Maybe. . .  
  
Review Responses:  
  
Happygolucky111: Well, I wouldn't see Darien's actions as "chickening out" exactly. I think he was just trying to avoid a cat fight that Serena would have won, hands down (you know, with the whole Sailor Moon thing, plus the added bonus of 8 other senshi right there with her to back her up. . .). I think he made a wise choice in getting Kyra's over-inflated ego out of there! And I think it wise not to actually type what we are surely all feeling about Kyra. We don't want the kiddie police soliciting us for "bad words"!!!  
Kage-Shadow-of-Darkness: When I do the F CAT, Oh, yes, I did work in my other classes. The curse of honors, I tell you. . .  
Marni: You know, even though I already have another idea, this is good, and I will probably use it! Much thanx to you!!!  
MiTZ: Yes, I think if I was reading my story, I would too be looking forward to the next chapter!!! LoL. Ok, j/k. Sorry this took so long to update though!  
PinkShuntumon: F CAT in ANY school sux!!! Ok, but seriously, yes, Darien WILL be jealous. You have no idea what the extent of his jealousy will BE! Ok, so reading the Interlude kinda gives it away a bit, but we'll deal!  
  
Soul 141: Don't worry. No rebounding here! Just some good, wholesome reading! Nope, thanx to Starry Eyez, I now know exactly what will be happening with this new guy and Darien!  
  
Wo Ai Ni16: I'm truly sorry that I hit you!!! I just get carried away when pushed towards my computer! Won't happen again!! ^_~  
  
PROPS!!!!!-- To StArRy-EyEz07 for helping me out with my block. I seriously had no idea what to write after like 7 pages into this chapter. So, GO READ HER STORIES!!! (My True Beauty, From the Corners of the Earth, Dark Time, Home Is Where the Heart Lies. . . I think that is all of them, but hey, look out for more!).  
  
And thanx to Marni for suggesting the whole 'Kyra hitting on the new guy' idea. . . that could really work!  
  
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part II, Chapter 1: Dating  
  
Last time on ICCIIWT:  
  
~The two had started to go steady, claiming love at first site at the party~. . . ~Wow. Food really gets her mind off of things~. . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
~Have lunch with MY BOYFRIEND~. . . "If I EVER see you within 20 feet of Sere-". . . "That goes double for me". . . Flash of blonde as Serena stormed out of the arcade. . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
~I wonder if Tuxedo mask dares to show his face around here~. . . Moon Scepter ELIMINATION!. . . He had come. . . Rose Chain ENTRAPMENT!. . . Stalked past Tuxedo Mask without even acknowledging he existed. . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
"He is allergic to macadamia nuts. . . I will terrorize them with their worst fears". . . "I will be just peachy once Darien pays for breaking my heart into tiny, itsy, bitsy, miniscule, little pieces". . . "Two more stages left in the ladder of grief!". . .  
  
~*FLASH*~  
  
Overheard Mina talking to Amy. . . Planning a massive shopping trip. . . Wanted to mess it all up for them. . . ~Wahaha!~. . . Attempt to kiss Darien. . . "Not in public, Kyra". . . "Can we kill them now?". . . "Would you like to see a movie later on tonight?". . . She agreed to meet him here at 7:00pm. . . Serena had finally gotten past depression. . . Darien Chiba was out of her life for good. . . So it seemed. . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Serena got home, it was already 5 o'clock. ~Two hours until my date!~ Mina, Raye, Lita, and Hotaru had insisted on helping her prepare for her date with (AN: Here it comes. . . Serena's date's name. . . that we all, of course, already knew, because, I would just be stupid if I didn't put it in the last chapter. . .!) Jesse. Amy had said she needed to study for a physics test a month away and the outers were looking into some information gathered at the latest of youma attacks. ~I swear, those four never think of anything FUN like dates and stuff!~ But she knew that beating the Negaverse was why they were there and Amy ALWAYS studies.  
  
When 6 rolled around, they started to get all done up. So far, the five of them had narrowed the outfits down to two: a deep maroon tank-top with a little bow in the middle of the top seam with black capris and black platform sandals or a pink sleeveless shirt that has a silver embroidered crescent moon and star with white flared jeans and white sneakers.  
  
"Hmmm. . . I like the first one," Raye and Hotaru said together while at the same exact time, both Mina and Lita said, "I like the second one."  
  
"Thanks. You guys are such a big help. . ." complained Serena. "What do you think JESSE would like???" They all though for a second. "The first one!" was replied by all. "There is just something about black, Serena," Raye said wisely.  
  
After Serena was dressed, Mina went to work on her make-up while Raye and Hotaru styled her hair. Lita just watched from her bed, for she never really got the hang of THAT much girly stuff. She was pretty much a natural looking person.  
  
Mina applied just the basics, to add a little flash of color here and there. A thin line of black eye-liner and thick coats of mascara for her eyes was all that was needed along with a slightly pink shimmery lip gloss. Her hair ended up being done in a high pony tail with ringlet curls. (AN: Goodness knows how they stayed in. So much hair to weigh it down!!!) To say the least, Serena looked casually stunning.  
  
"Ok, he should be here in 15 minutes. I will have my communicator with me, so don't hesitate to call. I can think up excuses faster than anyone I know! Well, maybe not as fast as Mina, but I try. . ." and Serena trailed off when she saw the devious glint in Mina's eye. "DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND CALL ME FOR NO REASON, OR I WILL SEE TO YOUR HORRIBLE TORTURE!!!!! Raye, keep an eye on her? Hotaru help her, too?"  
  
"No problem," the pair said, knowing they could handle that problem. "Hand it over, Blondie," commanded the threatening Raye. Without too much hesitation, Hotaru had the orange calculator look-a-like in her possession. "Serena, enjoy your date, beep free!" they yelled as they left Serena's house.  
  
Not five minutes later, Jesse rolled up in his midnight blue Porsche Boxter. ~Ooh! Me thinketh me liketh!!!~ Serena thought happily. Jesse had been in her classes for as long as she could remember, and it was obvious he had waited for a good time to ask her out.  
  
"Hey Serena. Did you decide what movie you wanted to see yet?" questioned the blond haired, green eyed hottie. "Um, well, I had it narrowed down, but I think I know which one you would rather see!" she said with a little laugh. "Try me," he dared.  
  
"Well, I was thinking either 'How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days' or 'Dare Devil', but I'm pretty sure you would rather the latter, being How to Lose a Guy is sort of a 'chick flick'."  
  
"And I would have to ask if I should take the first as a hint?" he asked wryly. Serena giggled, "No. Dare Devil it is then!" And they drove off towards the theatre.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Serena and her date, Darien and Kyra were on their way to the same movie. This, unlike the mall incident, however, was not planned, but Kyra found it a nice stroke of luck when she found out.  
  
She first spotted them when she was waiting in line for popcorn. She had oh-so-conveniently over heard Jesse buy the tickets and was simply overjoyed with her position. Her plan went downhill, however, when they were all in the theatre room, Darien seemed to have absolutely no interest in making out. This highly disappointed her, because she had never gone to the movies to actually WATCH the movie. Just to play tonsil hockey with whoever it was lucky enough to be dating her at the time.  
  
Darien, but all too late, realized too that Serena was there, and saying that he was jealous was the understatement of the year. ~She is dating THIS soon?!?!?! What's gotten into her?!~ he quickly reprimanded himself, saying that it HAD been two months, and she deserved SOMEONE at least. He just wished it could have been himself. The only solace he has that night is the satisfaction of not having to see the couple kiss. ~I don't believe I could handle that.~ he though to himself (AN: another instance of the infamous foreshadowing! But, of course, if you read the interlude, you would have already guessed what was happening! ^_~)  
  
When the movie finished, both couples left without a word to each other, Darien from the possibility of slugging the guy, Serena for the simple reason that she didn't see him. She was too bust either watching the movie or whisper quietly with Jesse, when they were getting to know each other.  
  
All in all, Serena's date went wonderfully so far!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Back at her house, Jesse walked her up to the door and asked politely what her policy on first-date kissing was. She politely answered that, "No, I never have. Maybe next time, though!" she offered with a little wink, and went inside.  
  
As soon as she checked in with her parents that she was ok, she ran upstairs to page the girls on the communicators. "Do you wanna hear it all now or have a fun little meeting tomorrow?" Serena asked excitedly. Even Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru wanted to know all about it. After all, they were only human! "WAIT! Better idea! Do you think we could all sleep over at the mansion, Sets? It is early enough to ask our parents. Only 10. We've asked later, really." Serena pleaded. "All right. Call when you all get answers!" and the girls one by one disconnected.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A mere 15 minutes later, all senshi were grouped up in their pajamas on the huge living room floor of the Outers' mansion. Serena filled them in on the nights events, this taking about an hour to do. "Jesse is so smart, and he does a lot of after school activities, too! Like he is on the swimming team, and he plays tennis!" This was what it was like for that whole hour, plus some questions interjected every few minutes.  
  
Mina blurted, "Did you guys kiss?!?!?!" She was so gosh-darned excited! "No. I never do on a first date, but I hinted at a next time!" Serena said, and she shot Mina and Raye both high-fives. Soon, everyone was getting tired, and drifted off to sleep, save for Haruka and Setsuna, who were discussing Darien's weird behavior.  
  
"I never knew him all that well, but it seemed that he just wouldn't be like this! He seemed to genuinely love Serena!" whispered Haruka, while they sat over cups of coffee.  
  
"You will see," was the whole of Setsuna's enigmatic answer. ~I just don't get why she won't tell us anything!~ thought a frustrated Haruka. "What do YOU think?" "I think that we should wait to see what happens. Time is not etched in stone, but there isn't too much to disturb what I am sure will happen," Setsuna was calm about the whole thing. Yes, she was worried about Serena's feelings, but, if all went as planned, everything should be better. Somewhat, at least.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Serena woke the next day, she felt entirely rested. ~Maybe I should have tried dating other people sooner!~ she thought with a small grin. The first thing she noticed after that was she was the first one up. "Well, that's a first!" she whispered to herself. "I wonder what time it is anyway?"  
  
As she walked to the living room, she nearly tripped over Luna, who had darted across the hall, but had now stopped, seeing Serena up so early. "What's the matter, Serena?! Is everything ok???" she asked frantically. ~The only thing to get her up THIS early would be food and. . . well, something bad.~ Luna was worried for only a split second, however. "Absolutely nothing, Luna! I just got up because I am not tired anymore. I got a lot of good sleep, is all." She smiled warmly down to her cat and then bent over to pick her up. Luna purred and accompanied her into the living room.  
  
"Oh, my. 8:00 am, I'm afraid. I don't believe I have ever done THIS before. Getting up all on my own, I mean." She had a very astonished look on her face. "Well, Jesse said he was an early riser. I will give him a call and see if he wants to go out to Burger King or something and grab a little breakfast. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right Luna?" Luna just nodded absently, for she was paying too much attention to her ears being scratched. "Good. I was meaning to ask if he wanted to tag along to Andrew's party this weekend, anyway," she mentioned with a smile.  
  
Serena put Luna back on the floor and went back to her room. ~Now, where did I put his number again???~ she finally found it wedged underneath the calculator Amy had gotten her when Darien had 'dumped' her.  
  
*ring ring*  
  
"Hello, Silver residence." Serena heard over the phone.  
  
"Hi, this is Serena. Is Jesse home?" She didn't know if he lived alone or not. She thought so, but couldn't be positive.  
  
"Serena! How are you?" Jesse asked. "Oh, good. Listen, I was wondering, if you had nowhere to be or anything, if you wanted to make a quick run to burger King or some quick place like that for breakfast? It's just, I got up early for once, and there is no one to cook, and I don't wanna wake any one up or anything and I don't want to go alone and I remembered you said you wake up early and all an-" but she was cut off when Jesse laughed a bit and said, "Sure. Do you want me to pick you up, or what?"  
  
"Yea, that would be good. But I am at a friend's house." She gave him the address and hung up.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'll have a number 2 with hash browns and some orange juice," Serena told the cashier. "Ooh. That sounds good. I'll take the same!" Jesse ordered right after her. They got their food and headed towards the nearest booth.  
  
When the couple sat down, they started talking in between bites, neither caring that they were talking with their mouths full of food.  
  
"Hey, Jesse, I was wondering. . . You know Andrew, right?" He thought for a minute, then said, "Yea. Works at the arcade, right? What about him?"  
  
"Well, he is throwing a party this Friday, and I was going and was hoping you would come with me. . ." and she trailed off, not sure if he would want to or not. "Of course! Just call me sometime this week to tell me when and where to pick you up."  
  
After 30 minutes, they finished and decided to go walking through the city area. Serena was looking through the windows of a pet shop and squealed with excitement. "Can we go look in there please?!?!?!" she begged. "Sure!" And as they walked in, Serena ran over to the nearest puppy, who happened to be a two month old German Shepherd. The name tag on the house said "Thor". "Awww!!! Is this not the cutest puppy in all of Tokyo?!?!?!" the excited blonde exclaimed. Jesse chuckled. "Do you want him? Your birthday was a while back, right?"  
  
"Oh, no. I could never ask this of you! I mean, my family has always urged me to get a dog, you know, for protection because they travel a lot when I stay home. And Luna would kill me!" Jesse looked befuddled. "Your cat?" he asked. "Um, well, she doesn't like me to divide the attention I give her. . . Yea, that's it!" she explained with a smile. "Well, if you really like this puppy, you shall have him. Luna will just have to deal, and, who knows? She might just like him!" he said cheerily, always looking on the upside. "Well, if you INSIST. . ."  
  
"Yes, I do. I couldn't think of a more fitting present!"  
  
They bought Thor, and all the accessories need to care for him, for he would grow into quite a big dog. After this, they headed back to the mansion.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey guys!!! Guess what I got!!!" Serena was sure everyone was awake by this time. It was almost noon. She heard Amy and Raye call her from the kitchen, and she and Jesse went down the hall that lead there. As soon as the others saw the dog, their jaws hit the floor, first in amazement, then in admiration, then to anger. "What do you think you are doing walking in with a dog, Meatball head?!?!" Raye yelled, fully taken aback. "It was a late birthday gift from Jesse, if you don't mind. And yes, I am allowed to have him. My parents have wanted me to get a dog for the longest time, thank you very much," and then she spun on her heel and walked out, followed by Jesse after he gave Raye a warning glance.  
  
This did not escape her though. "Who on Earth does he think he is?! Looking at me like that!" Raye huffed. "Well, you shouldn't have gone off like that, duh," Mina scolded. "It is none of your business if Serena gets a dog for her birthday." Raye quickly countered, "It is when it is from her now-BOYFRIEND when she is destined to be with DARIEN!!!!!" And then Raye ran up to her assigned room of the mansion.  
  
"Setsuna, I know you can't tell us much, but this isn't bad right? I mean the whole Jesse thing?" Hotaru asked cautiously. "Only time will tell," was her only explanation, though the others noticed that she did not seem worried at all by this occurrence. They all then went and joined Serena and Jesse, along with the new puppy, in the living room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So you will be here at 8, Friday night, right?" Serena asked, quizzing him on the party time. "Yes, Serena. Right here, at your house, 8 o'clock on the dot. Or 7:59, if possible!" he laughed at her little pout. "Well, thank you for my puppy. He is so adorable and I just know he will be a good dog with m family!"  
  
With that, Serena got up on tip toes and pecked Jesse on the cheek as a goodnight. She smiled, turned, and went inside without another word.  
  
"She is amazing," Jesse mumbled under his breath as he walked back to his car to go home.  
  
Meanwhile, in her house, Serena walked Thor into the living room. "Ooh!!! Serena got a dog!!! You are gonna be in trouble now!!!" and her little brother went running down the hall in search of their parents.  
  
"God. What is it with stupid little siblings. . . MOM, DAD!!! I'M HOME! I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!!!" While she waited, Serena decided to put all of her new doggy items away. Feed Thor, put the new toys in the new basket, lay down the bed, etc.  
  
"What is it, honey?" her mother asked. "Shingo said something about a dog?" continued her father.  
  
"Yup! Meet Thor, the new addition to our family! You guys always said I needed a dog for when you aren't here. So when I was out this afternoon with Jesse, he bought him for me for a late birthday gift!"  
  
"That is so sweet of him! But remember, this dog is YOUR responsibility, since he is your dog." gushed/warned her parents. It wasn't long before the playful shepherd had the whole family under his enchanting spell.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Thursday afternoon, there was a minor youma attack at the arcade, but we'll get to that later.  
  
Darien was there, as was his custom, with Kyra in tow, talking with Andrew. Mina, Raye, Lita, and Amy were sitting in their usual back booth. As they all went about their own things, Serena walked in along with Haruka. They were discussing, of all things, the pros and cons of guys wearing pink. . .  
  
Serena's argument: "It shows a guys soft side! So you know that he is a mortal human!!!"  
  
Haruka's argument: "Um. . . most people would see that as a 'homosexual' sign. Wouldn't you be a bit afraid of that?"  
  
Serena's counter: "Not at all!" in her cheery voice. She was still on a happy Jesse-high, and it showed.  
  
The two friends went to the counter, but not TOO close to Darien and ordered a round of smoothies (AN: Strawberry banana to be exact!! Mmm. . .) for the others and turned to join them.  
  
Ok, now we are back to the coming youma attack. The group of giddy girls were sipping their drinks when all at once, the communicators went off. This also alerted Darien, and he kept his ears open. They all answered to Michiru on the other end and were told to expect a youma to come at any moment.  
  
Michiru explained, "Pluto and I had it cornered, but it took off in that direction. We don't think it is very strong thought. Just be prepared!" At the click of her departure, they all single filed out of the arcade and around to the side of it.  
  
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!  
  
Mercury Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Venus Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Mars Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Saturn Star Power, Make Up!  
  
Uranus Star Power, Make Up!  
  
They all ran back around in front just in time to see the rather small monster bust its way into the arcade. They also managed to see Tuxedo mast appear almost out of nowhere. The fight began. . .  
  
Meanwhile, from a nearby tree, a mysterious figure (AN: Ooh. . . really creative there. . .) watched the battle. He watched, but it was not his place to intervene in their fights. Besides, this was an easy one. He knew what his purpose in this life was, and he was going to see that it was done right. He possessed a great wealth of power, but this was not the time nor place for its use. He had to make sure things were going along the way he wanted, make sure he got everyone where he wanted them.  
  
~The time will come. . . Eventually.~  
  
He grinned, and leapt up higher in the trees, so as not to be seen or detected by Mercury's computer. Down below, the battle "raged" on.  
  
"Ok guys, gather round." Everyone grouped in a mini-huddle, including Tuxedo Mask, because he still is a much needed fighting force. "The plan is to freeze it before it gets too much done, and since it is a weakling, it shouldn't be hard. Mars and Neptune should run and try to distract it, in case it has a mental force field it can activate. Then, just hit it with all you have just to be sure!" Sailor Moon then left the circle and the others followed.  
  
Venus Love Chain. . . ENCIRCLE!  
  
Mercury Bubbles. . . BLAST!  
  
Rose Chain. . . ENTRAPMENT!  
  
There was no way the pathetic youma was getting away. Mars and Neptune ran around back and shouted some attacks to get the thing's attention.  
  
Mars Fire. . . IGNITE!  
  
Neptune Deep. . . SUBMERGE!  
  
The others then called out their round of attacks.  
  
Jupiter Thunder Clap. . . ZAP!  
  
Saturn Silence Glaive. . . SURPRISE!  
  
Uranus World. . . SHAKING!  
  
Pluto Dead. . . SCREAM!  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATON!  
  
The youma crumpled and froze to stone halfway to the ground. The newly formed statue then crumbled to a mere pile of dust. The girls gathered together for a brief celebration of their landslide win and detransformed, each one who passed Tuxedo Mask not paying him any attention, save Pluto who gave him a wary glance.  
  
When Setsuna was detransformed, she looked up into the trees that our mysterious figure was hidden in. She felt a strong presence from there, but wasn't sure of 2 things: 1) Why didn't anyone else feel it or even the Mercury computer pick it up? And 2) Was this a good or bad vibe? She could usually tell these things, but this signal was almost indistinguishable. ~Hmmm. . .~ One thing is for sure. She recognized that signal, but wasn't sure from where.  
  
From the top of the trees, clad in all black, he looked back down into Setsuna's eyes. ~Can she see me???~ He dematerialized into the shadows and disappeared. This deleted any extra "vibes" left for Setsuna to think about.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jesse arrived at his house at around 4 in the afternoon on Friday. He had plenty of time to get ready for his date with Serena. He just had to get his things in order.  
  
MEANWHILE. . .  
  
Serena arrived home at 3 after school, and had JUST enough time for her preparation. The scene in her room was sort of like the one earlier in the week when she was preparing for her movie date with the same great guy.  
  
The main difference was that all her fellow senshi were there, with a mass of clothes because they were ALL going and needed to "primp". Since it was a casual party, each wore some variation of jeans: Serena-dark blue flares w/ velvet designs on them; Amy-white looking jean capris; Mina-black jean shorts with a wide belt; Raye-knee length dark blue skirt with a slit on the side to mid-thigh; Lita-pink-tinted flare jeans; Hotaru-black low rise boot cut jeans; Haruka-longish blue jean capris; Michiru-pale blue mini skirt; Setsuna-dark blue jeans with ties on the sides.  
  
Each also wore a simple variation of shirt and some sort of jewelry: Serena-a pink sleeveless T and silver moon choker; Amy-bright blue tie-back halter with V-neck and a charm anklet; Mina-orange spaghetti strap tank and gold charm bracelet; Raye-red halter and anklet with a ruby dangling from it; Lita-green off the shoulder 3/4 sleeves and long, silver chandelier earrings; Hotaru-pale purple tube top and dark blue cameo on a ribbon choker; Haruka-white corset-like tube top (black ties in back) and a blue- tinted silver ring with small sapphires around the band; Michiru-aqua V- necked shirt with long bell sleeves and a long, chiseled gold locket; Setsuna-deep purple blondie tank (one shoulder) with a silver, intricate armlet on the arm without a strap (AN: In case you didn't know, and armlet goes in the top part of your arm!) Also, each of the girl's shirts had a small embroidered symbol for their own planet in either black or white. They were dressed with simplicity yet class.  
  
(AN: I just hate writing such long paragraphs of what they all wear, but it IS a party. I just don't want to have you all guessing I guess. I dunno. Habit, maybe???)  
  
By the time they were all dressed, made up, and hair done, it was already 6:45. After this, the girls were carefully eating a delicious meal prepared by Lita and Michiru. After they finished eating, it was about 7:45, and almost time to go.  
  
"Whew! We like JUST made it!" said an excited Mina. The plans for travel were that Serena was going with Jesse, Mina was getting picked up by Andrew, and Amy was driving Raye, Lita, Hotaru, Michiru, Haruka, and Setsuna. A lot of people could be squeezed into that little blue Focus!  
  
At promptly 8:00, both Andrew and Jesse arrived for their dates, and Amy left with her crew right afterward.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Meanwhile, Darien was, too, picking up his date. He arrived at Kyra's house and went inside to get her into the car. When he got in, however, she didn't really know if she wanted to go or not.  
  
"Darien," she whined, "Why can't we just stay here? We could watch a movie, make out, whatever. . ." Darien sweat dropped. . .  
  
"Um, well, Andrew is my best friend, so I sort of have to go," he eluded. The other reason was that Serena was going and was bringing the guy she had been seeing. He felt the need to keep an eye over her. ~Oh, face it Darien. You just wanna make sure he doesn't try anything with her!~ ~I hate that little inner voice also known as my conscious!!!~  
  
So Darien finally got Kyra dragged out into his car and they made their way to Andrew's party. "Darien, how come I get the feeling that you don't like me as much as I do you?" she pouted at a stoplight. She was wearing a very low black tube top and a leather mini, MINI skirt with a silver belt, and made full well that she leaned over just enough to show off her chest.  
  
"I don't know where you get that idea," he once again eluded his answer. "I just don't move so fast with girls." Kyra sighed, "But I am not girl. I am a woman!"  
  
"Whatever." And he just kept driving.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
At the party, Mina and Andrew arrived first (Out of the group of senshi and company. Other guests were already there.). they quickly took to the dance floor.  
  
Right after them came Serena and Jesse, who did the same. And lastly came the car-pooled Amy, Haruka, Raye, Setsuna, Lita, Michiru, and Hotaru. Everyone was dancing and having a blast. Jesse and Serena danced fast songs, they danced slow songs. Sometimes they didn't dance at all; just talked and laughed.  
  
After maybe 20 minutes, Amy saw Kyra and Darien come in and head to the snack table. ~This is sooo not what I would usually advise, but. . .~ and she quietly snuck over and casually poured herself a drink just close enough to overhear the couple's conversation.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Whew! I know this took way too long to write, but, as I mentioned earlier, I was majorly blocked. Thanx again to StArRy-EyEz07 for her tremendous helping abilities!!! Ok, well, I must be off to write the next chapter: Part II, Chapter 2: Kisses! And remember, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! It always helps. ^_~  
  
~*Lil-PrincessK*~ 


	7. Part II, Chapter 2: Kisses

Well, I know it has been forever, but I just wasn't really in the mood for writing! I got all of these great ideas of other things to write, but I refuse to start something else before finishing this. No writer's block in here, just neglect I guess. . . In this chapter, there is a bit of fluff, as some like to call it, for some of the previously-neglected senshi! And I am in a way messing up the timeline again, because I wanted to give the Senshi better attacks, so I don't really care if it isn't the way it was done, it is how I did it. LoL. I guess I will get on to replying to my few reviewers (I really think this is one reason I wasn't up to writing much. I didn't get many reviews, good OR bad! So I kinda figured no one was reading it anyway. Spread the word! More reviews = faster chapters! I swear! Sniff.):  
  
Happygolucky111: Ok, since you asked, I guess I will try to get some of the senshi dates, but hey, there are a lot of them! But I WILL try to get Lita in there SOMEWHERE! Hmmm. . . Serena I guess DOES care, but she was just so hurt by Darien that she doesn't want to think about him at the moment. I guess she figures that she has plenty of time? I don't know. LoL, I dunno, yet I am the author. Good going, me!  
  
Kage-Shadow-of-Darkness: Aw, aren't shepherds so CuTe??? As for the mystery guy, I am sooooo not telling. **does wiggly eyebrows!** Amy is starting to show her sly side oO(Get down wit yo bad self, girl!) LoL, she is just keeping an eye out for her friends, so she will pretty much do anything for them!  
  
Piper: Ok. . . Oops, this isn't soon is it? Darn. Sorry!  
  
Wo Ai Ni 16: Thank you, I like my long chapters, too! Ok, j/k. But I do seriously have to re-read them a lot to see if I forgot anything in the one I happen to be writing at the time. Like, I just this morning saw that I had forgotten to make Setsuna and Lita arrive at the party! o_O;;; I'm working on it. . . I think the whole Darien/Jesse confrontation will happen a bit in this chapter though, so look out for it!  
  
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. On the other hand, I DO own Jesse, for I created him with my own little ole mind, and any of the other characters that aren't from Sailor Moon! Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part II, Chapter 2: Kisses  
  
Last time on ICCIIWT:  
  
"I WILL SEE TO YOUR HORRIBLE TORTURE!!!!!". . . "Serena, enjoy your date". . . ~Ooh! Me thinketh me liketh!!!~. . . Darien and Kyra. . . The same movie. . . ~She is dating THIS soon?!?!?!~. . . Date went wonderfully!. . .  
  
~*FLASH!*~  
  
Policy on first-date kissing. . . "Maybe next time". . . Wink. . . "Did you guys kiss?!?!?!". . . "Time is not etched in stone". . . ~I just don't get why she won't tell us anything!~. . .  
  
~*FLASH!*~  
  
~The only thing to get her up THIS early would be food and, well, something bad.~. . . "Is Jesse home?". . . "You know Andrew, right?". . . "He is throwing a party this Friday, and I was going and was hoping you would come with me". . . "When and where". . . "Is this not the cutest puppy in all of Tokyo?!?!?!". . .  
  
~*FLASH!*~  
  
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaarien. . . I came here to dance and be with you! I loooooove 'Lady Marmalade'!!! It's my most favorite song EVER!!!" and she roughly grabbed Darien, who nearly spilled punch all over, to the dance floor and began dancing very provocatively. Darien just looked around, hoping no one saw him dancing next to this maniac. ~Whew. . . I'm safe. . .~ so he thought. So they danced together for a while, too.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Little did Darien know, Amy had followed them onto the dance floor. She didn't want to stand out so much to the other two, so she did something that no one who knew her would ever think lil ole Amy would do. She picked a random guy out of the crowd and asked him to dance.  
  
"Hi! My name is Amy! Would you like to dance?" she piped to a cute brown- haired guy. "Um, do I know you?"  
  
"Can't say that you do, but still, do you wanna dance?" she was really almost desperate to get out there, hoping to pick up any kind of information. He laughed. "Sure! By the way, in case you ever wanted to know, my name is Dave." And he escorted her into the mob of dancers. Amy skillfully danced in a way to maneuver them closer and at the right angle to get a full view of Darien and Kyra.  
  
After a few minutes of dancing, however, Amy decided that for the moment, nothing interesting was going on with the couple other than Kyra's obvious touchy-feely tendencies. She decided to turn most of her attention to Dave, who turned out to be sweet and smart, but still keeping a loose eye on Darien and Kyra.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
On the other side of the room, Lita, Raye, Mina, and Serena could be found watching Amy's boldness with wide eyes. "Wow. Who woulda thought?" Mina said with a shake of her head. "I didn't even think she had it in her and I am the Goddess of Love!"  
  
Serena just smiled and waited for Jesse to return. She really wanted to dance, but he had said he needed to make a quick stop in the men's room. So instead, the four of them had been hanging around, and Serena and Mina were trying to get Lita and Raye to go dance with some guys. "Hey, I don't need ANY help from you two to get a dance partner," stated Raye matter-of- factly and she walked of to demonstrate her great power over the male species, wile the rest just watched her do her thing.  
  
"Hi there!" Raye had picked a guy with silver hair and green eyes that had been watching her for the past 15 minutes. "I couldn't help but notice you haven't been dancing, and thought I would help you out there!" He just gave her a quick smile and she had him dancing in no time.  
  
"Wow yet again. Well, Lita. You're next!" exclaimed Mina with a devilish grin. "Ooh, ooh! Let me pick someone for her!" squealed Serena, jumping up and down with excitement. Lita sweat-dropped, but complied. Serena usually picked out nice guys. "I think you should go for that one over there!" she said, pointing to a tall boy whose hair was so blonde it was almost white. "He is a senior at our school, Serena! Why would he want to hang around with me, a mere junior?!?!" Serena had picked him because she had seen Lita eyeballing him all night, but she knew Lita wouldn't get up the courage to talk to him herself. "Hey, I picked him, so YOU have to dance with him!" Serena giggled. Lita quickly mumbled, "See if I save YOU in our next battle." Mina and Serena just laughed and started walking over to the blonde.  
  
"Hi there!," they both said at the same time. Mina continued, "I couldn't help but butt in here, because, you see, my friend over there thinks you are simply adorable but won't ask you to dance herself. I saw you looking at her a while ago and was wondering if you wouldn't like to ask her to dance?" and Serena then gave him a blinding smile as if to say "Pleeeeeeeeeeease? If not I kick your butt. And it will HURT." He, though, didn't pick up the hidden meanings, thank goodness.  
  
While this whole conversation would have normally scared any guy off, the way Mina worked her charm, and the obvious attraction the boy already had for Lita helped. He went straight over to Lita and they soon started dancing.  
  
Serena shot Mina a high-five and went over to where she saw Jesse walking over after saying a quick "Bye!" to Mina.  
  
"I missed you!" pouted the enthusiastic Serena. Jesse just laughed and said, "Would the fair Princess care to dance?" She nodded and they headed out, son to be joined by Mina and Andrew. They all (Serena, Jesse, Mina, Andrew, Amy, Dave, Lita, Raye, and there 2 new "friends") formed a little dancing group. It was soon found out that the guys dancing with Raye and Lita were named Jake and Ray, respectively.  
  
About 20 minutes later, Hotaru and Michiru joined them, guy-less, and they were followed by Haruka and Setsuna. The group had a blast, with a few guys joining in here and there to dance with the dateless Outers.  
  
Serena and Haruka got thirsty, and went over to the cleared out area where the soda was kept. Haruka got a few cans to bring back, but Serena decided to hang around a bit to regain some energy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Meanwhile, Darien and Kyra were still dancing. Darien got tired and went to sit on a nearby couch and was trailed by Kyra. She promptly sat on his lap, making him very uncomfortable. "Darien, why don't you ever kiss me? Am I not pretty enough for you?" she whined. She received a sigh for an answer. "Kyra, I just don't go that fast with a girl is all." Secretly, his problem was that his heart belonged to Serena, and he in no way intended to ever kiss Kyra.  
  
This is not what Kyra had planned, however. When she saw Serena in plain view, she decided to make her move. She dragged Darien up, "I want to dance again, ok?" But instead of going straight there, she reached up just when Serena was turning in their direction and surprised Darien with a full on kiss. ~If that doesn't get her blood boiling, I don't know what will.~ thought Kyra.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena had indeed seen the whole thing and was rooted to the spot, speechless. Jesse saw her just standing there and came over to what the matter was.  
  
"Serena, Serena? Are you ok?" But he got no response. He looked in the direction she was, and then he knew. He was not very surprised, however, when Serena suddenly snapped out of it and turned to him. "Why?" she asked simply. "What did I do wrong that he stopped loving me?" Jesse sighed and wrapped her up in a tight hug.  
  
"You didn't do a thing wrong. You are perfect, and he was a fool to let you go, even for a second." Serena was comforted by these words and smiled a bit. "You're right," she said and then she went up on tip-toe and gave him a kiss. Time seemed to stop for them, and Serena wished it would last forever.  
  
But it didn't matter what she wanted. Nothing ever seemed to go her way. The last thing she knew was her embracing Jesse in a wondrous kiss, the next was being ripped from him harshly.  
  
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" yelled Darien, and then he punched Jesse hard in the jaw. Jesse fell down, but was up quicker than lightning, matching even Tuxedo Mask's speed, surprising everyone. He was up so quick, but did not strike back.  
  
The Senshi and their "dates" had stopped dancing and were grouped behind Serena, giving Darien and Kyra harsh glares that promised future pain. Serena, however, did not stand as still as her boyfriend and friends.  
  
She calmly walked over to Darien and said, "How dare you. Break up with me and then punch my boyfriend. Right after, as a matter of fact, kissing your OWN girlfriend! You have no right to me what-so-ever. You never truly did, and never will." She then slapped him so hard he fell. He didn't bother getting up when Serena walked over to Jesse to make sure he was okay, and walked off to another room with her friends.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Senshi went outside, abandoning their guys (except Jesse) for a second, after that episode to talk a few things out.  
  
"Serena, are you ok?" asked a concerned Hotaru. "Yea, I'm fine. How about you, Jesse?" She was searching his jaw hoping it wasn't broken. "Amy, could you check him out for me?" she pleaded.  
  
"You did the right thing standing up to Darien, Serena," said Michiru. "I don't know what he expected, but it certainly wasn't THAT," Haruka said, not able to keep her face straight, along with Lita. They both swelled with pride at their leader's show of strength.  
  
"Do you want to go?" asked Mina. "I'm sure Andrew would understand." They could all hear Andrew yelling and chewing out Darien from outside and knew they wouldn't be talking a whole lot for a while. "No, that is what Darien and Kyra would WANT me to do." She smiled. "If Jesse is ok, I still wanna dance a while!"  
  
"Fine by me!" he said, and they headed back in, but making sure to avoid the Kyra and Darien.  
  
Not too long after that, though, while Serena and the other girls had taken a fast trip to the bathroom, Kyra came over to talk to Jesse. "I couldn't help but notice that Darien's punch didn't phase you too much." She batted her eyelashes. "Are you ok now? I just hate it when he loses his temper like that!" Kyra wrapped her arms around his and tried to get him to dance with her.  
  
Jesse just looked down at her with a dark, stony glare. "Get away, and don't you EVER come near me or Serena again." And he quickly turned to go get Serena. He did this so fast that Kyra didn't know what was happening. She got herself in a pout, and wandered back to Darien, who was no more fun for the rest of the night. They ended up leaving soon after.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The rest of the Senshi and company left at around 12:30 that night/morning. After the grand exits of Darien and Kyra, they were free to enjoy themselves a lot more, and get to know the three new guys that were found. But soon, the fateful time to leave had to come, and they all left to head to the Mansion. They all stayed there to talk and sip hot chocolate for about another hour before Dave, Jake, Ray, and Jesse left to THEIR homes. The senshi had one heck of a sleepover.  
  
Sometime during the night, when most of them were asleep, Serena was whispering with Hotaru.  
  
"Do you think they are really in love?" Serena asked the Saturn Soldier. "Sere, it doesn't matter whether or not THEY are in love, does it? It matters that he, and I am truly sorry to say this, doesn't want to be with you, and you have to accept it. You have Jesse now. You seem to like him a lot, so forget about that [add in bad word here!] and focus on you two." Hotaru reasoned. "I guess. It's just that, we were so in love, and I am not sure if what I feel for Jesse IS love. How can I tell? With Darien, it was almost instant." Secretly, Serena thought ~What really would Hotaru know? She has never seriously dated anyone before. But she has a point, I guess she is right. I need to stop defending him against my friends like this!~ And so they went to sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day, Darien was walking through the park, alone. This was a time for him to think because Kyra was off with some friends for once, shopping. ~With MY credit card, but at least she is gone for a while. . .~  
  
Far above him in a tree, that mysterious figure was again watching. This time, there obviously was no battle, and no senshi. Only Darien, a.k.a., Tuxedo Mask. The mysterious figure deducted that Darien would be alone for a while and decided that this was the perfect time to strike.  
  
He dematerialized into the shadows.  
  
Far below, Darien was walking in the direction of the bench on the edge of the lake. This one was in the center of the Tokyo Rose Garden. It was a very beautiful place that not many people knew about because of its seclusion.  
  
He was sitting down thinking when all of a sudden, he heard the small sound of someone clearing their throat. It was obvious they were announcing their presence, so he turned around to acknowledge it. Darien was shocked to see none other than Jesse with a small, puzzled smile upon his face.  
  
"Oh, it's just you." He turned back around to face the lake. "What do you want from me?"  
  
Jesse walked over and sat on the far end of the bench. "I just wanted to talk. To figure out what is going on." Darien snorted. "Isn't it obvious? I broke up with Serena and you started dating her!"  
  
Jesse simply said, "And you still love her." At that, Darien finally turned to face him. "I don't know what you are talking about. I never loved her." But as Jesse looked into his face, he knew he was lying and called him on it. "You do so, and you cannot fool me. I could see it. . . and FEEL it. . . at the party last night."  
  
"Who are you to say who I love?!" Darien was getting mad now. ~How dare he come waltzing in here and start lecturing me on my emotions???~ "And were you following me? No one knows of this place! No one except me and Serena!" And then the thought occurred to him. ~What if Serena showed it to him? Does she love him as I love her?~  
  
"Darien, I am going to let you in a little secret: I know more about you, Serena, and her friends than you could imagine. Maybe even more so than you all know yourselves. Only Setsuna could know more." Jesse hinted at the Senshi of Time's vast knowledge with a small smirk.  
  
"Who are you? How do you know us? You can't possibly know all of our deepest secrets!" Darien shouted. Jesse sighed. "You don't understand. I can't tell you just yet who I am, where I come from. All you need to know is that you love Serena, she loves you, and it is destiny. I will tell you one thing though. You broke up with her for a very stupid reason." Darien gasped, "How could you know why??? I know. . . Have you been spying on all of us?"  
  
Jesse just smiled. "No, I have not. Your dreams were not true. That I will tell you. Just explain it to her and she will understand. I know that it isn't me she is supposed to be with. It's you. I'm trying to do the right thing here. Serena is a wonderful person, and I hate to give her up, but it is better, as I can plainly see." With that, he got up and left. Darien tried to follow him, but it was as if he had just disappeared into the shadows of the park. (Geez, I love hinting. Heeheehee!)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena was with Mina at the arcade, talking to Andrew, when her communicator went off. Seconds afterward, Mina's began the alarming beeping also. They quickly made up an excuse that they hoped would gain them exit.  
  
"Uh. . . Me and Serena. . . We. . ." Mina stuttered. She wasn't having a good lie day.  
  
"Sorry Andrew. What Mina MEANT to say was that we can't stay any longer. Raye is expecting us at the mall and you know how she gets when we are late!" Serena filled in. she grabbed Mina by the wrist and they all but ran out of the arcade. Outside, they answered that communicators.  
  
Jupiter snapped, "What took you so long to answer?!"  
  
"Well, did you WANT Andrew to know who we are?" Serena snapped right back. "Why? Is it a tough one?" Jupiter replied, "We don't think so at the moment, but get down to the mall immediately in case. You know how they have been lately."  
  
"Right!" Mina and Serena said together and signed off.  
  
Along the way, the two transformed.  
  
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!  
  
Venus Star Power, Make Up!  
  
When they arrived at the mall, it was obvious that things had taken a turn for the worse since the minute and a half that it took them to get there. Mercury was hunched at the base of the GAP entrance, still shouting advice regarding the youma.  
  
"Venus, Moon! I believe it's weakest spot is at the base of it's neck!" breathless Mercury told them. "We're right on it!" said Sailor Moon.  
  
She saw that Neptune was lying unconscious inside a nearby bookstore, no doubt brought there by one or more of the senshi. Uranus was still going strong because she had just recently gotten there, and she quickly filled them in behind a large display.  
  
"Mars was first here, and after her was Saturn and Jupiter. Jupiter called you guys, Pluto and I. So far, only Mercury and Neptune are down, but Mars is tiring rapidly. I think we will need Saturn to heal the three of them now that you are here. The rest of us are ok for the time being. But we haven't seen Tuxedo Mask yet, though that is probably because you just transformed." And she leaped back into the battle field.  
  
"OK!" Sailor Moon yelled. "Saturn, can you go heal Neptune and Mercury? And maybe generate some more energy for Mars?" She was heeding Uranus's advice. She could tell this was no easy monster to beat with half a team.  
  
"Venus, help me think of something!" Sailor Moon wasn't able to come up with any quick plans, so Venus called out, "Ok, we split up! Once everyone is back with us, Mercury, Moon, Mars, Jupiter and I will go on the offensive and attack! Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, can you guys use your powers for our defense? Maybe throw in a good attack or two when opportunity shows?" everyone nodded in response. "Good!" Venus said and got to attacking.  
  
While regaining her energy, Mercury noticed Tuxedo Mask's energy signal was being picked up slightly on her computer. ~Where is he? It is as if he is somewhere at a different elevation, but why isn't he helping us?~ she questioned herself.  
  
Up in the rafters, where he was hidden by shadow's, The black-clad man was again watching the soldiers battle below. He noticed that Tuxedo Mask was nowhere to be seen, but he knew he was nearby. He was very nearby. ~Oh, Tuxedo Mask, I know how close you are, but do you?~ With that thought, he gracefully stepped out into a sliver of light, balancing on a rather thin beam. Tuxedo Mask was a mere 2 feet away from where the man was originally, and was quite startled.  
  
"So you have discovered me," Tuxedo Mask heard the other say. He was unsure of him, but replied coldly, "Yes. Now it is my responsibility to ask who exactly you are."  
  
He merely laughed and said, "Why should I tell you? What is it the children would say? Oh, yes. Make me." ~This should get him a little more in touch with his emotions~ he thought with a little inner laugh.  
  
At that moment, Tuxedo Mask closed the small gap between them just as gracefully and was glaring into the equally tall man. "Don't make me make you."  
  
"Very well, since you put it so nicely. I am the Shadow of Time, but please, just call me Shadow." And he offered his hand in a shake. Tuxedo Mask hesitated a moment and then warily took Shadow's hand. "Now, why are you here and where did you come from?" No answer, just a smile. "Well?"  
  
"I can't tell you that, I'm afraid." Just then, they heard a large explosion from below. "Sailor Moon!" they said in unison. Tuxedo Mask leaped down to help the senshi, but Shadow hung back. ~Just a little longer.~  
  
Venus Crescent Beam. . . SMASH!  
  
Mars Celestial Fire. . . SURROUND!  
  
Moon Tiara. . . MAGIC!  
  
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all saw the monster gathering a fist full of dark magic. They looked at one another and nodded.  
  
Dark Moon Magic. . . the youma called out. . . CORRUPTION!  
  
The Outers countered with a new attack, created for strong defense.  
  
Galactic Submissive Solar Shield of Light. . . BARRIER!  
  
A sphere of mixes of lavender, marine, pale blue, and deep purple surrounded each of the senshi plus Tuxedo Mask. That is when they all first saw him coming down, the sphere "following" him all the way.  
  
(AN: Oh, yea, I made it up myself. You wish you had my creative skillz! Ok, I know it's corny, but what was I supposed to do? Let our heroine get demolished?! I think not! It is probably a bit too wordy, but I liked it that way. Heh heh.)  
  
Meanwhile, the Dark Attack had fanned out and would have brought them all to their knees had it not been for the new shields that were provided.  
  
Sailor Moon took this as a strong advantage. "Good thinking! Until these things disappear, attack! But when they are finally gone, back off!"  
  
Jupiter Thunder Crash. . . ZAP!  
  
Neptune Deep. . . SUBMERGE!  
  
Venus Crescent Beam. . . SHOWER!  
  
Saturn Silence Glaive. . . SURPRISE!  
  
Mercury Shine Aqua Shine. . . ILLUSION!  
  
Uranus World. . . SHAKING!  
  
Pluto Dead. . . SCREAM!  
  
Enchanted Rose Petal. . . STING!  
  
Moon Tiara. . . MAGIC!  
  
All of the attacks combined into one massive killing force. But the youma was not killed. All the Senshi could do was gasp at the sheer resistance of the monster. To this, the youma let out a booming laugh. "You pathetic Solar Brats! You can never beat the Negaverse!" Then it let out another powerful blast of Dark Energy.  
  
Dark Moon Magic. . . CORRUPTION!  
  
The scouts all ran for cover, for they knew the shields wouldn't hold out for another blast, and they were right. They helped a bit, but they were all thrown against the far walls. Moon struggled to her feet, unwilling to just give up. The rest soon followed suite. The youma, however, wasn't paying them any attention. He was looking at the cloaked figure of Shadow, blocking his path to the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask.  
  
"How dare you, being of evil, make an attempt to harm the Princess! For this, I will be sure you pay with your meaningless life!"  
  
Shadowed Time Span. . . IMMOBILITIZATION!  
  
Shadow cried out his attack, drastically bringing down its energy. "Sailor Moon, get it!"  
  
Moon Scepter. . . ELIMINATION!  
  
The youma was easily demolished, and Sailor Moon turned to Shadow, who was bowing lowly to her. "Thank you, whoever you are." She slightly bowed in return, Silver Millenium fashion. "Now, before you leave, tell me, who are you?" Sailor Moon asked of him.  
  
"I am the Shadow of Time, but I am typically called Shadow by close friends. I am here for many reasons, and to fulfill them, I shall give you a bit more power." He let loose a large swell of energy, and each of the senshi briefly transformed to their Eternal forms before regressing back to their normal senshi attire. "But now I must be leaving. Just know that I will return." With that and a small, disarming smile, he combusted into a million bits of darkness and was gone.  
  
They all looked upon the spot Shadow had been kneeling on not 30 seconds ago in wonder, but Pluto was just grinning, unbeknownst to the rest. ~Ah ha.~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
At Darien's apartment that afternoon, the man waited, pacing back and forth yet again. "This should be easy, but she might put up a bit of resistance." Darien rationalized to himself. He was startled when Kyra wrapped her arms around his waist, for he hadn't heard he come in.  
  
"Hey! You wanna see what I got?" she whispered excitedly to him. "Sure," was the thoughtless answer, but she didn't notice. She was already digging through her bags. Darien decided to humor her for a bit and sat down on the couch as she pulled out miniskirts and different styles of tops galore.  
  
After about 20 minutes, the "fashion show" was over. ~I better get it over with now. At least she has the shopping to ease the, uh, disappointment~ "Kyra, come sit down. We need to talk. . ."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Back at the arcade an hour later, Serena, Hotaru, Raye, Haruka, Lita, and Amy were sitting in a large booth enjoying a giant basket of fries and milkshakes.  
  
"So, who do you think he was?" Serena asked no one in particular. "And what do you think happened with all the 'power' he gave us?" Amy mentioned. As an afterthought, she added, "Maybe I should do some scans and tests later on," and she ducked back to her book for the time being. Lita and Raye just sighed. "I don't know who o what or why, but wasn't he dreamy?" was heard from the two. Serena, Hotaru, and Haruka just face-faulted. ~They are so boy crazy!~  
  
Haruka turned to see Mina coming over from behind the counter and smirked. ~I wonder what they were doing back there.~ Soon after Mina joined them, Michiru and Setsuna met up with them, and they started discussing Shadow. Setsuna, just spoke when directly spoken to, however.  
  
"Well, I have to go. There is some stuff I need to pick up, so I will see you later!" Mina cheerily chirped and skipped out of their sight.  
  
"Wow. How much caffeine has she had today?" Raye wondered aloud. The rest of the girls just began to discuss the latest gossip and they were there for abut 15 minutes, laughing and joking, when they saw Mina hurrying in and back to their table at a near run.  
  
"What, you forgot your purse and money?" Haruka chided with a slight grin.  
  
"No. This is a bit more, oh, say, important. Serena, Darien broke it off with Kyra today!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Muahahahahahaha! Cliff hanger! What will Serena's reaction be? Will we find out who the Shadow of Time is? WILL WE EVER FIGURE OUT HOW AMY'S HAIR IS BLUE, MICHIRU'S IS GREEN, AND SETSUNA'S TINTED GREEN?!?!?! Whew, ok. . . Find out (MaYbE ^_~) in the next installment of I Can Cry If I Want To, Part II, Chapter 3: Confessional!!!  
  
Ok, please put up with my sanity for just one more chapter and an epilogue. This chapter is going up, and my A/N is coming down, but after I finish this story, I will post a revised version of the list of future projects just so you people know! I will try and finish during the summer, but who can tell? I am going away to a medical camp in Ft. Lauderdale on the 14th of June and won't be back until the 21st, and after THAT, I start Duel Enrollment, and that is for 6 weeks. I hope I will have time, but rest assured, I don't plan on just NOT writing! So, for the time being, ByeByes!!!!!  
  
~*Lil-PrincessK*~ 


	8. Part II, Chapter 3: Confessional

I started right away on this chapter after posting Kisses, so I hope to be finished with it in the next week or two. It will end with my Epilogue after this chapter, then I am off to greater things! Ok, so it is only "Almond Pride", but it is the story of my Lord, so there! Oh and once again I am TOTALLY messing up the timeline of SM, but I wanted to do this and there was no way to go back and mess with things to make it fit, so there! I mean, I KNOW I like skipped two seasons, but hey, I can do it. . . AuThOr PoWeR!!! ^_^  
  
IMPORTANT: Later on, I use a made up attack for Saturn. This is a description of it for those people who like to 'visualize':  
  
1) Saturn Wave. . . DESTRUCTION!- [created by Sailor Saturn (of Beyond Sailor Moon group on yahoo)] A huge ball of energy forms in her hands, and on the ground around her, a ring of energy forms. She holds the energy ball over her head and the rings on the ground jump and circle around the energy ball. She throws the energy at a monster. . . imagine the outers attacks, you know how they look like their planets? And here's the best part. . . If the target tries to stop the attack by launching their own attack at it, the blast absorbs its energy and becomes stronger. This is her ultimate attack.  
  
Woo Hoo! Lets get to replying to reviewers, shall we?:  
  
Kjhlk: S/D. I seriously thought about making it a S/J, but I stuck with my original intent. You'll see what happens with Jesse, hopefully in this chapter!  
  
Princess-MoonBunny: Wow! I couldn't wait, either! OMG, Look! We don't have to wait anymore because the next chapter is here! YAY!  
  
Jing: Don't we all wanna know what happens next! LoL, I think that this is the only time I have really had an actually cliff hanger-y cliff hanger, to be honest. I feel. . . empowered. . . Oh goodness. Is that good???  
  
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. On the other hand, I DO own Jesse, for I created him with my own little ole mind, Kyra, and any of the other characters that aren't from Sailor Moon! Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part II, Chapter 3: Kisses  
  
Last time on ICCIIWT:  
  
Amy had followed them. . . "My name is Dave". . . Nothing interesting was going on with the couple. . .  
  
~*FLASH!*~  
  
"Would the fair Princess care to dance?". . . Serena and Haruka got thirsty. . . Serena decided to hang around. . . "Darien, why don't you ever kiss me?". . . He in no way intended to ever kiss Kyra. . . Saw Serena in plain view. . . Surprised Darien with a full on kiss. . .  
  
~*FLASH!*~  
  
Serena had seen the whole thing. . . . "What did I do wrong that he stopped loving me?". . . "You are perfect". . . She went up on tip-toe and gave him a kiss. . . "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!". . . He punched Jesse. . . Did not strike back. . . "How dare you". . . She slapped him so hard he fell. . .  
  
~*FLASH!*~  
  
Kyra came over to talk to Jesse. . . "Darien's punch didn't phase you too much". . . She batted her eyelashes. . . "Don't you EVER come near me or Serena again". . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena just looked up at Mina in a blank stare. Out of the blue, her face turned to one of anger. "Do you think that is FUNNY? Because you look over love, and you can keep a boyfriend, you think you can play cruel jokes on me?" Serena was getting so upset that Setsuna, Haruka, and Lita had to hold her down.  
  
Mina looked at her in surprise, "Serena, I would never do that to you! I just saw Kyra in the street! She was bawling her eyes out mumbling things about 'No one EVER dumps ME' and so on! Honest! I didn't think she even really liked him, but she must not enjoy being the dumpee. . ."  
  
"Sere, look," Amy rationalized. "Would Mina ever do something like that to one of her best friends? Come on now." Serena looked up, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.  
  
"I guess not." She jumped up and tackled Mina in a giant bear hug, knocking the two over. "I'm so sorry! I must just not be totally over it. I think I will be ok though. Jesse is here for me, and you guys also." She gave a small smile. "You guys wanna see a movie or something?"  
  
On the way to the theatre, they ran into Kyra, still a bit messed previous tirade. "You [insert bad mouthed word!]! You are the cause of all of this! You are why Darien was never fully under my influence!" She tried to jump Serena, only to be stopped by a hard shove from her.  
  
"Get a grip, ok? This is so not my fault and if you can't take that, then it isn't MY fault." She turned and left, followed by her friends, leaving Kyra seething mad.  
  
Kyra turned, trying to think of how to pay the little twit back when she came across a tall, slender, red-haired woman with a dark look to her eyes. "I think I could help you."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After the movies, the nine girls split ways to go home. Serena called Jesse from a pay phone and he came to pick her up in front of the arcade. "What's up? You look like something's bothering you."  
  
"Well, I'm not sure. Darien split up with Kyra, and I don't know what to make of it. What do you think?" She saw that Jesse seemed to be in deep thought about the event, and he didn't stir for a full five minutes. When he finally did, he asked, "What do YOU think?" Serena just gave him a funny look and said, "Never mind. You wanna go for a walk? We could go to the park or something."  
  
"Sure! Lets stop at a drugstore and pick up some bread to feed the ducks or something!" And they drove off.  
  
At the lake, Serena and Jesse had a great time chasing the poor, defenseless ducks and occasional pigeon. They collapsed laughing onto the grass.  
  
"That was super fun!" Serena exclaimed. "I haven't done anything that crazy since me, Lita, Raye, and Mina threw raw eggs at my brother and his friends!!!" Jesse tilted his head. ~That's not a bad idea.~  
  
As they were ready to leave, something jumped out from a large tree in front of the couple. Upon further investigation, Serena concluded it was a very strange youma. It seemed to give off an almost human aura, but still, she and Jesse could be in danger, so she had to act fast. "Uh, Jesse? I left my purse in your car. It has a can of mace. Be a dear and run and get it while I distract this thing until Sailor Moon arrives?" she demanded with a sweet grin. He nodded a bit bemusedly and complied.  
  
~Whew. . . Better call the girls.~  
  
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!  
  
She whipped out her communicator and hit 'All Call'. "Hurry! I need you to get to the park. Different youma, giving off strange human 'signals' I would call it! I don't wanna kill it just yet. . ." She slipped it back into her pocket just in time to dodge a mauve blast of energy.  
  
"So little, pathetic Serena is really Sailor Moon! This should be more fun that I anticipated!" the youma screeched out. That is when Sailor Moon knew. ~That's Kyra! What happened to her?!~  
  
She was slightly larger than human form, her pink hair long, flowing, and tendril-like. Sailor Moon didn't know why she didn't see it in the first place, for even as a youma, she was a very pretty one. "Kyra, we don't have to do this," Sailor Moon warned. "I could demolish you in an instant. The fact that you are part human is the only thing keeping me from killing you right now!"  
  
To that Kyra-youma smirked. "You couldn't put a scratch on me. Queen Beryl has provided we well with great power! Enough to surpass even you and your senshi!"  
  
~Somehow, I doubt that. . .~ But she was very careful anyway. "Well, I tried to talk it out."  
  
Moon Tiara. . . MAGIC!  
  
Kyra was throw back, but she was still in the game. "Is that all you have?"  
  
"Sailor Moon!" The girls had arrived, and right behind them was Tuxedo Mask and Shadow. "Wow, that was fast. Mercury, do a scan, quick! That's Kyra in there! I don't want to have to kill a human!"  
  
"Sailor Moon, you're right! That Is Kyra! What should we do?" Mercury was panicking. They had never faced this problem of humans before.  
  
"Kyra? What happened?" Tuxedo Mask was still in slight shock. "Who did this?"  
  
Shadow spoke up, "Beryl did. She fed upon her weakened state when you, uh, dumped her. Now I guess she is back for revenge." Sailor Moon continued. "That's right. She started attacking me even before I transformed. She was out to get me for splitting you two up, not that I did or anything."  
  
Understanding dawned upon Youma-Kyra. "Darien? DARIEN?! YOU SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! AHHHHHHHH!" She hurtled a fist full of the Dark energy at him.  
  
Dark Moon Heartbreak. . . SUPREME!  
  
Tuxedo Mask deflected the attack with a Rose Petal Shield.  
  
Shadow saw another attack forming, and cut it off.  
  
Shadowed Time Span. . . IMMOBILITIZATION!  
  
He turned back to the girls. "I gave you all power, now do what you heart tells you!" yelled Shadow, referring to their last encounter. "Do what feels right." And he stood back to watch.  
  
~What on Earth? I feel it!~ Sailor Moon could almost taste the words she had to say.  
  
Moon Eternal Power, Make Up!  
  
In a wave of blinding light, Sailor Moon had transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon. The others stood, watching in awe. One by one, the other senshi began to feel what they had to do.  
  
Mercury. . . Venus. . . Mars. . . Jupiter. . . Saturn. . . Uranus. . . Neptune. . . Pluto. . .  
  
Eternal Power, Make Up!  
  
Swirls of light energy surrounded the circle of senshi as they were transformed into Eternal Senshi. "Cool beans!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed happily.  
  
"What just happened, Mercury?" questioned Jupiter. "We just got a lot more power is what I think. We better start using it!" Sailor Moon nodded. "Thank you Shadow. We owe you big time! But still, do we kill her, or what? It would be wrong."  
  
Sailor Pluto jumped in. "Just do what you know how to do."  
  
In all of the confusion, Youma-Kyra was momentarily forgotten. ~Hey! What about me!~  
  
Dark Moon Heartbreak. . . SUPREME!  
  
Mars saw the attack coming and took it upon herself to neutralize it. In a flourish of red, she harnessed her new power.  
  
Mars Flame. . . SNIPER!  
  
The arrow of flames quickly split the Dark energy sending it into space where it could do no harm.  
  
Mercury Aqua. . . RHAPSODY!  
  
All of the Senshi watched in awe as Mercury danced around happily singing, "My attack HURT! My attack HURT! That was my first actual hurt-the-enemy attack! WOO HOO! Happy Dance!"  
  
Everyone sweat-dropped at her antics, and she suddenly stopped, back to business.  
  
Venus Love and Beauty. . . SHOCK!  
  
Jupiter Oak. . . EVOLUTION!  
  
Youma-Kyra stumbled at all of the power aimed at her, but wasn't finished yet. "She's breaking down!" said Neptune.  
  
"Lets see what a Death Senshi can do. . ." said Saturn.  
  
Saturn Wave. . . DESTRUCTION!  
  
Uranus smirked when she felt a new power, a talisman. She called it forth, the power her heart said to use, followed by Neptune.  
  
Uranus Space. . . BLASTER!  
  
Neptune Submarine. . . REFLECTION!  
  
Pluto Chronos. . . Typhoon!  
  
Pluto felt the power of her Grandfather flow through her as she whispered her attack, demolishing all in her path, and causing great damage to Youma- Kyra. (AN: Ok, so is it obvious Pluto is my favorite?!)  
  
"Sailor Moon," Pluto said in a deadly voice. "Finnish this."  
  
Starlight Honeymoon Therapy. . . KISS!  
  
(AN: And I don't care if it's from Stars, I'm using it! ^_^;;;)  
  
Youma-Kyra was hit with the wave of pure light energy and was greatly diminished, changing back into her human form and crumpling to the ground. "Why? Why did he leave me for YOU?" Kyra whimpered.  
  
Sailor Moon looked pityingly down at her. "I honestly don't know, but revenge is not the way to win him back." Kyra looked up at her with a look of disgust upon her face. "No, I never wanted him BACK. I never really liked him! It is just my way to be better than other people! And the fact that he chose you over me disgruntles me!" she jumped up and hurtled herself again towards Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask jumped in, grabbing Kyra by the shoulders.  
  
"Kyra! Do you want to know why I didn't stay with you? You had no feeling for me and I knew it! I couldn't be with someone so self centered as you. Serena hasn't a mean bone in her body, and if I could, I would choose her over you in an instant, and that is because I love her. You need to find that special person to feel that deeply for, also." He let go, for she had stood stark still the whole speech, and left, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, not looking back as Sailor Moon watched him go. ~He still loves me?~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After the Kyra attack, Serena went home with Raye to have a sleepover with the Inner scouts. The others were busy training, feeling particularly lazy for not have practiced since arriving in Tokyo.  
  
"So what do you think will happen now?' Lita was asking her, obviously about the earlier episode of undying love. Serena didn't get a chance to answer, however, because her cell phone began to ring.  
  
"Let it go. You need to rest," suggested Raye, but Serena saw that it was Jesse, so she answered. "Hello?" She heard a male voice on the other end. "Hey. Meet me in the park? I have some. . . news." Jesse was being evasive, and she knew it, but she obliged.  
  
"Girls, cover for me? It should only take a half hour." And after four grudging nods, she leapt gracefully out the second story window. She ran as fast as possible to the park, knowing where he would be. As she suspected, he was on the bench facing the water fountain, spitting up water from a tall spout, causing a light mist at the bottom.  
  
"Serena, I have some good and bad news." He patted the concrete slab next to him, offering for her to sit down. "Jesse, what's the matter?"  
  
He sighed, and nodded in the negative. "Here, listen to some good news. My grandfather phoned me and told me I have been accepted into the literature school I always dreamed of getting into." Serena smiled. "That's wonderful! What is the name? Is it around Tokyo?"  
  
Jesse hesitated, knowing what came next. "Serena, that is sort of the bad news. It's in London." Her brilliant smile faltered, and she began more questions.  
  
"When do you have to leave? How long will you be there? Will I ever see you again?" She didn't want to start crying, but she felt a small tear trickle out anyway. ~Emotions are never well spent, because hearts are broken no matter what. No! That isn't the way a Soldier of Love and Justice should think! Love is out there, I just have to find it! I will find it, if it is the last thing I do.~  
  
"I will be leaving tomorrow at noon, and I won't be returning for a long time. They are very intense and I won't be out for many breaks, none long enough to come visit. I'm sorry. Maybe I will see you someday." He stood up, offering her a hand, also. She gladly accepted and he gave her a brief hug and a small kiss on the forehead. "Come see me off at the airport tomorrow?" he pleaded. "I'll be there."  
  
Serena turned and walked all the way back to the Temple, holding in any tears that threatened to spill. ~I am always left in the cold by men.~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When she arrived back at the temple, she was too tired to stay up later than just long enough to relay the story to her friends before passing out into deep sleep.  
  
While she was asleep, she had a dream. It started out very pleasantly, to be honest. 'Hmmm. . .' she thought in her sleep. 'A wedding! How wonderful!' She noticed that people were congratulating her, and she was z bit confused at this. Then she looked down at herself, seeing that she was wearing a big, white bridal gown. "Oh!" she squealed in surprise, "It's MY wedding! I wonder who I'm marrying!" She was happy as she began walking towards the ceremony.  
  
As she began walking down the aisle, she saw the groom waiting near the altar, but she couldn't see through the veil who the man was. She was walking in time to the music, and just as the song ended, she turned to her husband-to-be. She let out a small gasp. Darien. None the less, she was pleased, for this was the ceremony she had always dreamed of.  
  
They went through the traditional speeches, and just as they were both about to say there "I do's" and Darien made an attempt to pull her closer, an unknown force ripped her away. Serena screamed in pain as she was drawn further and further away, feeling as if she was dying a thousand deaths, only to hear a deep voice coming from everywhere, and yet from nowhere.  
  
"Stay away from her or she shall die. . .!"  
  
Serena bolted upright in bed, too terrified to close her eyes anymore that night.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Darien woke up suddenly. "Oh God, not again." ~I am probably getting it because I admitted to still loving her. What more can I do to protect her?!~ But he also had another feeling. "She had it too. I can feel her fear." Instinctively, he got up, got dressed, and headed towards 'their spot'.  
  
All along the way, he kept going over how he should handle the situation, for once in his life not sure of what came next. From since he left the orphanage at the age of fifteen, he always knew he would go to school, get a job to pay for living provisions, and then go to college. ~I have to admit, I don't like this feeling much at all.~  
  
He soon arrived at the park and walked through the large iron gates, heading straight to the unmistakable scent of roses. He wound his way through he maze of hedges to reach the bench secluded in the middle with a great view of the nearby lake. What he wasn't prepared to see, however, was Serena sitting there, having arrived there before him, as if called there the same way he had been.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena heard him walk up, but didn't make a move to look at him. She heard him come over and sit next to her, and after a while of silence, he spoke. "The, uh, dream. You had it, too, didn't you?" She looked at him, surprised that he seemed to know of it.  
  
"How. . .?" but then she realized how. "You had it tonight, also? Could you not sleep afterwards?"  
  
Darien nodded. "I could never sleep after that dream. Every time, I would wake up and be afraid to lay back down in case I had it again."  
  
"Every time? You've had it before? As in, multiple? Geez, that's horrible!" He looked straight at her. "For the longest time. It's why I broke up with you, you know. I had these dreams for two whole months before that. Getting worse and more gruesome each time, always with that same warning."  
  
He hung his head in shame, as Serena jumped in. "Nothing was going to come get me! For God's sake, do you think I can't protect myself? That you wouldn't be able to help protect me? The girls would never let anything happen to me, even!" She didn't mean to be so harsh, but she had to get this point across to him, or he would keep entertaining the idea of her dying from being near him.  
  
"Darien, I loved you. So much. I would die forever, if it meant I could be with you beforehand. Living without you would be much worse that what the dreams showed." She was surprised that she meant it. She meant it all. ~Kind of invigorating!~ she thought with a little smile. He finally looked back up, into her blue eyes and realized that he had been wrong, and he needed to make it all up to her.  
  
"Serena, I'm so sorry. For everything. For, for, Kyra, being such a jerk, and for making you think I didn't care about you."  
  
The couple sat there until morning, watching the sunrise together and then going to the arcade for breakfast. (AN: Do they even SERVE breakfast there?!) Needless to say, everyone was happy that they had gotten back together, but the senshi were not very happy to have woken up with their leader gone, without a trace.  
  
"MEATBALL HEAD, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??? WE HAVE BEEN SO WORRIED!!!" Raye bellowed after all of the happy we're-back-together-greatness was over with.  
  
"Aw, Raye, you really DO love me!" Serena giggled, prying herself from Darien to tackle Raye in a bear-hug, which was joined by a giddy Mina and then Lita, and finally Amy. "GET OFFA ME!" Raye yelled, but she did so in happiness. ~Everything is right again. Everything.~  
  
In a nearby booth, Hotaru, Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru were all taking in the scene and talking. Haruka looked at Setsuna and said, "You knew it would work out. I could hate you forever for not easing our minds." Setsuna just smiled her elusive smile. "Why would I tell you when it is more fun to watch you squirm? And have I ever let you down before? If it was important, I would have let you guys in on it!"  
  
Serena looked at the clock. ~11:00. I better get going.~ "Darien, do you want to come with me?" She had already discussed Jesse's leaving with him and her seeing him off. "No, you should go alone." He gave her a wink. "I trust you with him!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Serena decided to walk to the station, Thor in tow. She got there early, and waited at the right platform. At ten to noon, Jesse came huffing up.  
  
"Sorry, I was caught in traffic. Hey! You brought Thor!" He bent down to play with the big puppy. Serena decide she would tell him of her and Darien. "Jesse, I have some news for you, too. I got back together with Darien. I hope it doesn't bother you. . ."  
  
He shook his head. "I thought he was more suited to you. I really care for you, but he LOVES you." Serena smiled, glad he agreed. "Jesse, there Is one other thing." She handed the dog's leash to him while she went in her bag for some papers. "I want you to take Thor with you. To remember me by. Here's all of his ownership papers and everything and a list of some dog foods he likes and doesn't and his toys. . ." She handed him a bag packed with all of the puppy's favorite toys and treats.  
  
"No, Serena, I bought him for you." She shook her head. "He will give you company plus, as I said, I want you to remember me." Jesse finally agreed to take him, and after the announcement for his flight, he boarded after giving Serena one last kiss on her cheek, her doing the same for him. She waved as the plane took off, and headed back to her friends.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pluto looked at the window of the present. "Looks like everything is headed for the better side of the future. Thanks for helping me with this."  
  
She looked at the man standing beside her, the Shadow of Time and her long lost love. He smiled at her. "You know I could never let you down. You know, I really liked her. She was kind hearted." He thought for a minute and then asked, "Why couldn't you tell Uranus about me anyway? I mean, she almost had a right to know, because it's not like she isn't a senshi, and she was very persistent."  
  
Pluto giggled a bit, "If I let her get information out of me then, she would get into the habit of pestering it out of me later in other scenarios! And I DO have a reputation to hold up."  
  
Pluto had returned to the Gates of Time soon after the defeat of Kyra and putting her King and Queen back together, with a promise that she could be called on whenever she was needed. She could leave for battles or for girls' night out, just so long as someone was always there, watching the Gates for her. This gave her a lot of freedom, for Shadow was always near and willing to take on the duty, and even if he wasn't, Luna or Artemis were always there, also.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
OK! That was my last chapter in this part! I'm so happy I got it done, with all of the time it takes to read for my one class this summer! Sorry about the totally long wait, but it couldn't be helped! Ok, maybe it could have been, but this is when I finished, so this was when I posted! Also, check out my other story (it's a 1 shot I did for a Yahoo group). It needs total revising though. You'll see why. The last half is ok written in my opinion, but the first half is kinda choppy. Ok, go read it, and review it telling me what you think! Oh, and review THIS story too!  
  
Also, if there are any of you who like RPGs, take a look at Dreaming Moon. We are in serious need of players. It is a SM genie group on yahoo, and we need players for masters. Long story, but if anyone wants to join, please, go take a look. The site is: http:// groups. yahoo.com/ group/ dreaming_moon/ . We all from the group would appreciate anyone joining and taking on a character!  
  
Much thanks to everyone, and remember, the epilogue will come after this. Not promising WHEN, but it will come. Ciao!  
  
~*Lil-PrincessK*~ 


	9. Epilogue

**I replaced the chapter with a correction. the ANs are the same, as well as the review responses, I just forgot to put the three phrases Serena uses to unlock the box! I can't believe no one told me about that in a review!!! Anyhoo, enjoy the mini-not-really revision!!! ~*Lil-PrincessK*~ **  
  
Here it is, the final, eagerly-anticipated installment in the "I Can Cry If I Want To" fan-fic! I'm sorry it's sorta short, but there isn't too much to wrap up in here except one thing, so that's it. I would like to thank all of the people (ok, two. . .) that have helped me while I was in a writing slump for this fic! I finally feel as if it is all coming together! Oh, and I'm not including a summary of the last chapter this time (which is really useful to make the chapters seem longer. . . shh. Don't tell, it's a secret!).  
  
Reviews (and ReviewERS) Rock!  
  
HappyGoLucky111- Don't worry, I don't plan to stop writing until I DIE!!! Nope, you can't get rid of me NOW! HAHAHA!!!  
  
Brie- Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed and were patient! It's a virtue! Oh, yea, and Disney World does rock!  
  
Nadja- Aw, two hours? I'm touched! Yea, I wouldn't say that I myself was a tomboy, but I felt so shallow putting sites for dresses, but I had to share the prettiness, LoL. Raye's was gorgeous, I must admit, but, gasp, I can't remember what Haruka's looked like! I must go look again. And I couldn't let Setsuna be destined to loneliness for all of time! She's one of my favorites and that is just so bad for someone.  
  
Stardust0912- Nope! Still have the epilogue to read, and THEN it's over.  
  
Native16- Wow, as I told you, a special email all for me. I'm happy. Ok, Now go read the epilogue so you see Sets again!  
  
Jing- Yup. Shadow is tres cool. I really think I did ok in creating him. I'm glad someone else thinks so too!  
  
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. Also, I have no rights nor do I own Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter. On the other hand, I DO own Jesse, for I created him with my own little ole mind, Kyra, and any of the other characters that aren't from Sailor Moon! Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!  
  
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Epilogue  
  
A more mature Serena sat back into her cushy sofa, a good two years later. She was smiling as she looked through her photo album at her cute puppy with the big ears, barking playfully at her in the park not so long ago. ~I hope he's happy with Jesse, all the way over seas in England! I hope he met some nice French poodles!~ she thought with a little laugh. She glanced at the clock. Darien was due home any minute now. He had taken a few extra classes in his senior year of college, while Serena had stuck with the bare minimum allowed for as long as she had attended.  
  
She heard the door of their new high-rise apartment suite open and jumped up to meet her husband of six fun filled months. "Darien, How was your day?' she asked as she slid her arms around his neck, looking straight up into his deep eyes.  
  
He just laughed at her, saying, "Sere, you were THERE most of the day, you know what I have." She gave him a little fake pout. "I'm just trying to be a good wife. . ."  
  
"Ok, if you insist. I went to my first class, which you know is quantum physics, and we learned that on the molecular level, plutonium 439756 is REALLY very physiologically similar to. . ."  
  
He was cut off by a little peck on his nose. "Never mind. I don't wanna hear all of that mumbo jumbo. How about we go for a walk instead?" He nodded and began to help her put her light coat on.  
  
As they were walking throughout the city, Darien asked about her friends.  
  
"Well, Mina and Andrew are FINALLY considering getting married, as I'm sure he's told you. It's about time, all of the times she's been getting on us about being the Goddess of Love. They are moving to Paris for a year. I was asking how she expected to finish college AND do that, but she wants to quit schooling for that year and pursue modeling while she's there. She said she would reenroll when they got back. Talk about a long honeymoon!  
  
"I called Raye today, and she is doing well with her Priestess training. She thinks she has her cousin taught well enough to be her assistant, and says Grandpa is enjoying his retirement, though he still pretty much does a lot of what he used to, especially flirt. Raye just has the title of running the Temple. We were thinking of setting up a time for a girls' weekend before Mina leaves.  
  
"Amy was telling me in English today that she was thinking of going to a big, fancy medical school, but has decided to go to the one here instead. She says that even though the Negaforce hasn't attacked in a year, she should stay to keep an eye out. I think she'll just miss Raye and I too much, though!  
  
"Lita, as you probably remember, is doing great in her culinary classes. She is hoping that is Mina DOES get married, she'll be able to cater it. Ooh, she'll be so happy with her own business! She was also commenting on how cute she thought Mr. Fredique is. You know, our history professor? She hasn't changed a bit, I tell you.  
  
Darien though a minute. "You haven't heard from the others though?" This brought a small frown to Serena's face. She hadn't heard from Haruka, Michiru, nor Hotaru in about a month. She knew she could contact Setsuna whenever, but didn't want to distract her from her Duties of Eternity. "Amy does have a theory, though. She thinks that they might have been needed in the future or past or something. Setsuna might have sent them. But I don't get why I haven't heard abut it. I'll have no choice but to contact Pluto later on." She said resolutely.  
  
They walked on in silence, simply enjoying each other's company.  
  
After a while of walking, the couple decided to go home and settle down for the night. Darien had two tests the following day and Serena was going to visit Pluto. When they arrived back in their apartment, Darien began looking through notes in the living room, while Serena headed to their bedroom.  
  
She dug through her closet until she found what she was looking for. She delicately resurrected a small silver box with three complicated looking locks. Instead, however, of trying to open it with the traditional code or key, she spoke a phrase into the first lock, which was embellished with an etched crescent moon. "La Princesse de la Lune à jamais." It opened with a small clink and a bit of pink light.  
  
She then spoke clearly to the second, more complex looking lock. It was decorated with a beautiful silver rose. "Le Prince de la Terre à jamais." It too opened with a clink, slightly louder, and a bit of black-ish looking light burst from it.  
  
To the last, most intricate of the locks, she said a longer phrase. "Ensemble, les Amants et les Protecteurs l'Univers" It opened with a clearly audible clink and a stream of white, opalescent light. Serena gently lifted the lid up to see the contents of the small space. Inside was where she had stored her Sailor Moon items a while back. Among the assorted items were her Luna Pen, her Eternal Sailor Moon broach, her locket and Silver Crystal, and the time key. This last item she took out and resealed the box. "Au nom de la Lune, le cachet a fermé!"  
  
She then went out into the living room to tell Darien that she would be back in a few, she was going to visit Pluto. She then held the key away from her in her hand and chanted, "Time Key, bring me to the Gates of Time!" over and over until she started to disappear.  
  
After thirty seconds of swirling light, she landed gracefully on her feet in a dark chamber. Immediately, she felt a pair of strong arms clamp around her neck and waist and she reflexively ducked, turning around to pin her attacker. She let out a small squeal of shock as she saw who it was she had caught. "Shadow! Well, I haven't seen YOU in a while," she said with a light hearted smirk. "What are you doing here? Where's Pluto?"  
  
When she released him, he turned. "Shadow of Time, and you don't think I belong or at LEAST have a right to be at the Time Gates?!" he exclaimed with mock indignation. "I am appalled!" He shut up when he saw the Plutonian Princess walking up to them. Serena turned and quickly pulled her friend into a bear hug.  
  
"I've missed you so much, but I didn't want to take you away from your duties!" She let go to take in her friend. She hadn't seen her since their last giant sleepover, almost a year ago, when the attacks stopped occurring. "But I am here for a reason. I was starting to get worried about Hotaru, Michiru, and Haruka! We haven't seen hide nor hair of the trio for almost a whole month!"  
  
Setsuna laughed. "You silly. They went on a vacation to Australia! Didn't they tell you?! Hotaru has developed a strong attachment to koala bears!" As an after thought, Pluto mumbled, "Though where she got it from, Selene only knows." She dragged her friend over to the control panels, followed by Shadow. She pointed to the center screen. "See? At some zoo, watching a demonstration of some man by the name of Steve Irwin. Strange fellow, he is."  
  
Through the screen, they heard a distinct yell of surprise. "CROIKEY, ME ARM!!!" The man on the screen began jumping up and down in failed attempts to get the large anaconda to let go of him. They saw heroic Haruka run up to help him, wrestling the giant snake safely into its aquarium so it could do no more harm. "Yes, well, I could've done that," Steve said in an absurdly fake Australian accent, "but I wanted to know how the audience could handle themselves under pressure. . ." and he promptly felt down, out cold.  
  
Serena laughed with the others and told them that she had to go, but would come to visit soon. "Take care of her, will ya?" she yelled at Shadow as she slowly disintegrated right before their eyes.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day, Serena and Darien found themselves once again taking a walk, this time, to the park. Instead of going to the rose garden, however, Serena felt a strong compulsion to sit on a bench overlooking one of the large clearing where families came to have picnics or play with their dogs. The two were debating names for their future children. They did this a lot to pass the time or for fun. Today, it was girl's names.  
  
"Cassandra," said Serena.  
  
"Chloe," said Darien.  
  
"Valuable," countered Serena again.  
  
"Angelina," said Darien.  
  
Just as Serena began to utter another name, she heard a faint, but deep barking. This was not unusual for a park, but she stopped short to listen. "Ch-. . . Hey, Darien, did you hear that?" He just looked at her. "That barking? Yea, Sere. There is ALWAYS barking in parks. Are you feeling ok?" He was starting to get worried.  
  
She couldn't answer because at that moment, a huge German Shepherd had hurtled itself onto her and was licking her face ferociously. She didn't move for a few seconds, but she began laughing hysterically after them. When she finally got the dog off of her, she looked around. "He's got to be here somewhere. . ." she mumbled. Darien just looked more perplexed by the second. Just then, a tall blonde man came jogging up. "I'm sorry, miss, he usually doesn't do that. . ." He broke off with a grin, which Serena returned and jumped up.  
  
"JESSE! How have you been?! How was school in London???" Darien felt a flash of jealously but remember that she was his wife and he didn't need to feel animosity towards her old boyfriend. Serena reached down and began scratching behind Thor's ears, making him shake his hind leg in contentment.  
  
"Oh, I'm doing good. And you guys? You seem to be happy," he noted. Serena smiled and said, "Yea, we got married six months ago." She gleefully latched onto Darien's waist, beaming up at him.  
  
"Aw, well I'm happy for you." He turned to Darien. "Didn't I tell you? I knew it, and you can't deny it!"  
  
While Serena just looked perplexed, Darien nodded. "They stopped right after I told her. Come to think of it, I guess it was right after you left. I never got to thank you, so, hey, thanks!" Serena just looked from one to the other and back and shrugged.  
  
"Well, Thor and I were just stopping in for a while here. We don't live anywhere near here, but I was just coming to Tokyo to visit a few friends. I guess I might see you around again sometime, ok?" Jesse winked and said as he was slowly backing up into a small grove of trees, "Oh, and by the way, I'll tell Puu you said hi!" and he seemed to just. . . disappear.  
  
A faint whistle could be heard. Thor saw that Jesse was nowhere to be seen, licked Serena's hand once more, and took off running straight to where Jesse had moments earlier stood and disappeared, too.  
  
The couple stood there for a few seconds, taking these events in. Serena felt a smile creep onto her face, while Darien just looked at her. "I'll tell you later, ok?" and she lead him over a small bridge over a stream and into the sunset.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ok, I hope everyone liked the ending, and I hope you all got it, because I don't wanna just come right out and say it. So there. LoL. But seriously, if you didn't, uh, get the "subtle" hints, email me and I'll tell you. . . Thanx for everyone who has reviewed throughout this production (oh yea, I'm big league now! Heehee. . .) and stay tuned for future stories from me. I think I'll post a list of my ideas after this, so if you see an update, there aren't any new chapters, just future stories. That doesn't mean don't look into them! Ok, thank you all one last time, from I Can Cry If I Want to, this is Kristina signing out. . .  
  
~*Lil-PrincessK*~  
  
**As I said earlier, I revised this. The 4 phrases (In French. I would have used Japanese except I couldn't find a proper translator online!) Serena used to open and seal her box are as follows, respectively: "Princess of the Moon forever"; "Prince of the Earth forever"; "Together, Lovers and Protectors of the Universe"; and "In the name of the Moon, seal closed!" I don't care if it's corny, I like it, so there! Hmph. . . Haha, hope you all liked it. ~*Lil-PrincessK*~ ** 


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